Eddie Howe’s side looked the sharper and more solid of the two Uniteds, despite having played a hat-trick of Premier League games since the Red Devils last took to a pitch. Allan Saint-Maximin gave the hosts an early lead – one they held until the 70th minute, when substitute Edinson Cavani levelled with a scrappy effort.
Either side of Cavani’s equaliser, though, the Magpies saw a string of opportunities come and go – including a glorious opening for Saint-Maximin, who failed to connect cleanly with Krafth’s square after a mazy run from the full back had left a number of Red Devils defenders trailing in his wake.
“It’s small margins,” the Swede reflected. “I was breezing past the players and I saw Allan in there. I don’t know if he got a clear touch on the ball, but it was really close and it could have changed the game. At 2-0 up, I think we should have won the game.
“We played good. Our defence was really good tonight – we didn’t let them have too many chances. I think we had the best chances in the game, actually – Jacob (Murphy) had two shots, Allan had one… What can I say? With a little bit of luck, we could have won the game.”
While disappointment was the overriding emotion for Howe and his charges after the game, a draw did at least snap United’s mini losing streak in the Premier League, and also goes down as just the second point they have picked up this season against a side currently in the top half of the division.
The Magpies got after a shaky Red Devils unit from the outset, belying their position in the table throughout the game, while putting their own frailties at the back largely to one side.
Asked as to whether the overall display was Newcastle’s best so far this term, Krafth replied: “Yeah, I think it was one of them. We created a lot of chances against a very, very good side. And with a little bit of luck we could have won the game.
“We knew, when the ball was dead, that they would want to re-start really fast. We tried to push up and win the ball higher up the pitch, so we were closer to their goal as well. I think there were some good moments in the game where we stole the ball from them and could have scored. It was just the small bit that was missing.
“It gives you a boost, when you see we can perform to a level like that. We just have to put in the hard work every day. We know where we are in the table, so we just have to work our ass off to get out of the position we are in now. But of course, this was a boost for us. It’s just unlucky we couldn’t get the three points tonight.”
