Newcastle United 4 – 1 Manchester United
Another poor performance deepens the misery for Manchester United.
Though the visitors responded quickly after falling behind, they failed to maintain that momentum. Newcastle United dominated the second half, scoring three more goals to seal a thumping 4-1 win at St James’ Park on Sunday in the Premier League.
After Sandro Tonali gave the hosts the lead, Alejandro Garnacho pulled one back for Manchester United. But that was as far as their joy would go. A brace from Harvey Barnes and a goal from Bruno Guimarães in the second half secured Newcastle’s return to the top four.
Newcastle had also beaten Manchester United 2-0 in their first meeting this season back in December.
With 17 wins and 5 draws from 31 matches, Newcastle now sit fourth with 56 points. Nottingham Forest, having played one more game, are third with 57 points. Manchester City have dropped to fifth with 55 points from 32 games.
Newcastle’s opener came in the 24th minute after a brilliant link-up between Alexander Isak and Tonali. From a tight crowd just outside the box, Isak flicked the ball up and over to Tonali, who found the net with a stunning volley.
Garnacho equalized in the 37th minute, finishing confidently with his left foot after receiving a pass from Diogo Dalot.
Newcastle regained the lead shortly after the break. Tino delivered a cross-field ball from the left, which Jacob Murphy cut back across goal. Harvey Barnes was perfectly positioned to slot home with his first touch.
Fourteen minutes later, Barnes capitalized on a defensive error. United defender Noussair Mazraoui slipped in his own half, allowing Barnes to snatch the ball and drive into the box before smashing in his second goal.
On Thursday, United drew 2-2 with Lyon in the Europa League, conceding twice due to mistakes from goalkeeper André Onana. Under pressure, coach Ruben Amorim rested Onana and gave Altay Bayındır a chance between the posts.
But the Turkish keeper also faltered in the 77th minute. Attempting a soft pass to a teammate, he gifted the ball to Joelinton, whose header set up Guimarães to confidently fire home Newcastle’s fourth.
This win marks five straight victories across all competitions for League Cup winners Newcastle United.
For Manchester United, the situation continues to spiral. They are now winless in their last three Premier League games, losing two of them. This was their 14th league defeat of the season. With 38 points from 32 matches, Amorim’s side has dropped to 14th in the standings.
