Lamens believes Manchester United's late defeat to Newcastle stems from a lack of fighting spirit and physicality.

Manchester United, after coming back from a goal down to equalize thanks to a Casemiro goal in the 30th round of the 2025/26 Premier League season, conceded another goal in the final stages of the second half and were ultimately defeated 1-2 by Newcastle United . In an interview, Lamens expressed his and the team's frustration with the result, believing that the team did not put in enough physical effort and fighting spirit.

Jacob Ramsey was shown a red card in stoppage time for allegedly diving. Shortly after, Gordon was brought down by Bruno Fernandes in the penalty area, resulting in a penalty for Newcastle. Gordon converted the penalty to give Newcastle a 1-0 lead.

Three minutes later, Bruno Fernandes took a free kick, and Casemiro headed it in to level the score at 1-1 for Manchester United. In the 90th minute of the second half, Trippier passed the ball to Willian Osura, who broke into the penalty area and curled a shot into the net, putting Newcastle ahead of Manchester United 2-1 again.

Ultimately, Manchester United lost 1-2 to Manchester United at St. James' Park.

Manchester United goalkeeper Lamens said: "It's a very disappointing result. We knew it would be a difficult game, especially playing here, and the manager warned us about it before the match. I don't think we played very well in the first half, but after scoring in the last minute before halftime, we felt pretty good. With the opponent down to 10 men, we had more confidence in the game."

"But the coach also warned us that this would not be an easy game. We had to keep attacking and break through their defense as soon as possible. Otherwise, if we waited longer and the score remained 1-1, the opponent only needed one chance to change the situation. That's exactly what happened, and our performance was far from good enough. We didn't do well in every aspect of this game, and we must learn from it."

Lamenz pointed out, "We felt we didn't do enough in terms of physicality and fighting spirit, and we didn't put in the same level of commitment as them. With the support of their fans, these kinds of games are bound to be very difficult. Every team has off days, but if the whole team is out of form, it just won't work in this league and against opponents like these."

In addition, Manchester United will not be involved in the FA Cup and European competitions, giving them ample time to rest and make adjustments.

Lamens said, "We are certainly very disappointed, but as everyone has said, we have a few days or even a week to get back together and think about how to bounce back."

"We need to get back into training, maintain our intensity, and stay united so that we can perform well in the next game and fight back in the next match."

Image source: Internet