Manchester United's top-four hopes were dealt a significant blow on Sunday afternoon, with Erik ten Hag's men slipping to a 2-0 defeat away to Newcastle United to ensure that they are now just a point ahead of Tottenham Hotspur in fifth.
While the Red Devils currently have a game in hand on the north London outfit – who take on struggling Everton this evening – the concern for United will be their recent patchy run of form in the top flight, having now won just three of their last nine games in the competition.
For all the positivity that has surrounded Old Trafford due to the continued success in cup competitions, the club's league form has taken a turn for the worse of late, with Ten Hag's side having notably come undone on the road against elite opposition this season.
Although yesterday's display may not have been quite as grim as the 6-3 and 7-0 thrashings at the hands of Manchester City and Liverpool, respectively, it was another truly "lifeless" performance from the visitors at St James' Park, as per Manchester Evening News journalist, Samuel Luckhurst.
In truth, the Carabao Cup winners were largely left to thank the heroics of David De Gea in the sticks for keeping the scoreline respectable, with the long-serving Spaniard making a stunning double save inside the first-half, before also tipping an effort onto the crossbar late on.
That being said, however, the 32-year-old was somewhat culpable for the Magpies' opener after nervously playing out from the back, with the away side having perhaps been unable to live with the pressure up against Eddie Howe's rampant outfit.
Aside from De Gea, the only player to truly come away from Tyneside with credit in the bank was defender Lisandro Martinez, with the tough tackling Argentine having produced yet another "top-class" performance at centre-back, as per Statman Dave.
How did Martinez perform against Newcastle?
The World Cup-winning "animal" – as hailed by compatriot Emi Martinez – was once again a typically tenacious and rock-solid presence at the heart of the backline despite the continued onslaught from the hosts, notably standing tall to make a fine block in the opening period to deny Alexander Isak.
On a day in which his teammates largely wilted in the cauldron of St James' Park, Martinez was 'one of the few who looked their usual selves', as per Luckhurst, with his 7.4 match rating, as per Sofascore, by far the highest of any of his starting colleagues.
The 25-year-old won six of his ten total duels as a marker of his desire to try and keep Newcastle at bay, having also been dribbled past on just one occasion and made four tackles to illustrate his unflappable defensive prowess.
While the former Ajax man did lose possession on nine occasions, he regularly looked to try and spark an attack for his side from deep, showcasing his innate composure on the ball by completing four of his six long balls and making four passes into the final third.
The £120k-per-week machine may be small in stature but he was once again head and shoulders above his teammates, with Ten Hag likely hoping that he had more players who possess the "personality" and "character" of Martinez, as the Dutchman himself previously lauded.
On a day in which it looked as if the home side simply "wanted it more" – according to Luke Shaw – the 5 foot 10 ace was one of few who no doubt appeared up for the fight, hence the bewilderment among both the player himself and supporters to see him withdrawn late on.
