Magpies overpower Red Devils despite Howe absence | OneFootball

Newcastle United bolstered their Champions League ambitions with a dominant victory over Manchester United at St James’ Park, despite being without manager Eddie Howe, who was hospitalised on Friday after feeling unwell.

The Magpies delivered a composed and confident display, earning their first league double over Manchester United since the 1930-31 season.

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim made a bold decision to bench regular goalkeeper Andre Onana following his errors in the Europa League win over Lyon. However, stand-in Altay Bayindir was also at fault, gifting Newcastle their fourth goal and sealing a miserable afternoon for the visitors.

Bayindir’s costly mistake came in the 77th minute, when his misjudged pass fell straight to Joelinton, who headed the ball into the path of Bruno Guimarães for a simple finish to make it 4-1.

By then, Newcastle had already taken full control of the match. They struck first when Alexander Isak floated a clever pass over the defence, which Sandro Tonali calmly slotted home. The Italian midfielder nearly added a second with a powerful long-range attempt, while Bayindir had to be sharp to keep out Isak.

The visitors equalised, however, when Alejandro Garnacho showed great composure to beat Nick Pope with a tidy finish after some great work from Manuel Ugarte and Diogo Dalot down the right.

But the hosts turned up the pressure after the break. Harvey Barnes restored the lead in the 49th minute, tapping in from close range after a sharp delivery from Jacob Murphy. Barnes then struck again 15 minutes later, punishing a defensive slip from Noussair Mazraoui with a clinical finish.

Newcastle’s fourth, courtesy of Bayindir’s error, merely added to United’s woes on Tyneside - the Red Devils' afternoon not helped by a suspected hamstring injury to Joshua Zirkzee.

The defeat drops United to 14th in the Premier League table, where they trail Everton on goal difference and sit just three points above the relegation zone. It marks their 10th loss in 21 league matches under Ruben Amorim—a statistic that raises more questions than answers.