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Manchester United blew a golden opportunity to move within five points of fourth-place Arsenal in the Premier League, settling for a underwhelming 1-1 draw at Newcastle on Monday. The Red Devils were outplayed for much of the 90 minutes and probably deserved less than the point they got, with the team lacking cohesion and not being on the same page at all. It felt like Man United had more sloppy passes than efficient ones as the team failed to score multiple goals in the Premier League for the third consecutive match. 

It took Newcastle just seven minutes to take the lead thanks to the brilliant play of Allan Saint-Maximin. United battled back and equalized in the 71st minute thanks to substitute Edinson Cavani. United goalkeeper David de Gea was forced into some tough saves late, while also needing the post to bail out his team against the relegation contenders. 

The visitors had just four shots on goal the entire match despite 70 percent possession, while the Magpies had eight shots and were far more efficient, looking to do their damage on the counter.

For Newcastle, the draw puts them on 11 points in the table and within two of safety at the halfway point of the season.

Here are three takeaways from the match:

No creative engine in middle for United

The way United's midfield played, especially going forward, could only be described as painful. It was hard to watch, which is staggering when you consider the quality of players and the money spent. Not once was there a moment with them going forward where you thought. "Oh, this is where they get a goal." In fact, the goal from Cavani came off a fortunate rebound for the Uruguayan, following up his own shot. But this isn't an isolated event -- it's a trend. Aside from recording their worst expected assists (1.08) since Ralf Rangnick took over, they really just have so much trouble in the middle to create. Bailed out one too many times by Cristiano Ronaldo, who had a horrible game Monday, United have only recorded over five shots on goal once in their last nine games.

By comparison, Liverpool have done it twice in the last couple weeks and 13 times this season. Manchester City have done it in eight straight. 

And the issue is having a player who can create. While Bruno Fernandes can be that guy, Rangnick's fortmation of a 4-2-2-2 doesn't quite allow for it with the Portuguese playing so high. Add on tap of that the fact that Fred struggles to complete the easiest of passes at times, and you have wasted opportunity after wasted opportunity. United quickly need some changes, and it starts with the formation. There is no engine in the middle, and without an engine you've got a United stuck in neutral. 

Varane clearly not ready

The big news entering the game was the return of superstar defender Raphael Varane. Well, he was far from super. Playing for the first time in nearly two months after recovering from injury, he completed just 84.4 percent of his passes, which is second worst for him on the season. Some of them were just square balls to teammates that he just gave away, and his poor touch in the opening minutes sent Newcastle on their way to the opener. 

While he did have his moments and was largely able to recover well, he didn't look like himself. Whether he was rushed back or not remains to be seen, but on Monday, he wasn't ready.

A new position for Joelinton?

Brazilian Joelinton may have been brought to Newcastle in 2019 to be their goalscorer, but so far that hasn't worked out. The 25-year-old forward has just 10 goals in 94 games for the club with his best league season being four goals in the previous campaign. Could he be in line for a position change? I say this kind of jokingly, but he was fantastic in this match when it came to making an impact in the middle. 

Joelinton had four tackles, a season-high four interceptions, a season-high two blocked shots, and won 23 duels. He also had a season-high 11 recoveries. Add to that his slick nutmeg on Marcus Rashford, and he had himself a day. 

This is a guy who doesn't get good looks and has only surpassed an xG of 0.10 twice since the beginning of October. But you won't find a harder worker, one willing to sacrifice his body for his team. At worst, Eddie Howe has somebody he can plug into some other positions when defending is the priority.