It has been a painful rebuilding process under Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford, with André Onana’s Thursday night blunders at Lyon attracting some more unwanted attention.
Altay Bayındır replaced the Cameroonian in between the sticks for his PL debut, seeing the ball fly past him early on when Joelinton converted from Kieran Trippier’s cross that was ruled offside.
However, Newcastle did find a breakthrough in the 24th minute when a wonderfully crafted move was finished off by Sandro Tonali. Trippier spotted Alexander Isak on the edge of the box, and the Swede produced a lovely lofted assist into the path of the Italian, who fired home a superb first-time right-footed strike past Bayındır.
The Magpies had further chances through Tonali and Isak, but surprisingly, it was the visitors who struck next through Alejandro Garnacho. Diogo Dalot made a surging run forward and played a ball out to the Argentine, who applied a clinical side-footed finish past Nick Pope.
It didn’t take long for the Magpies to restore their lead after the restart, as Tino Livramento’s cross went right across the face of goal to Jacob Murphy, who then teed the ball up for Harvey Barnes to slot in Newcastle’s second.
Amorim was dealt another blow moments later when Joshua Zirkzee was forced off due to an apparent hamstring injury, forming part of a triple change, with Rasmus Højlund, Patrick Dorgu, and Mason Mount all introduced.
But any hopes of another Red Devils revival were effectively extinguished when Barnes outmuscled Noussair Mazraoui and powered his way into the penalty area, unleashing an unstoppable strike past Bayındır.
It was a goal that epitomised the visitors’ defensive fragility, with Barnes becoming only the second Magpies player to score a brace against Man United in the PL era after Alan Shearer.
The goalkeeping position in Amorim’s side appears to be a poisoned chalice, as Bayındır committed a howler of his own when a short clearance was played straight at Joelinton, who nodded the ball into the path of Bruno Guimarães to add Newcastle’s fourth.
This will be a season to remember for Eddie Howe’s side, who secured a sixth win in a row across all competitions and are well on course to bring UEFA Champions League football back to Tyneside next season.
Meanwhile, another chastening day in a truly abysmal campaign for the Red Devils now guarantees them their worst-ever points return in a PL season. Even in the unlikely event that Amorim’s men manage to win all six of their remaining games, they will only muster 56 points – two shy of their previous lowest tally in the 2021/22 campaign.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Harvey Barnes (Newcastle United)
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