Newcastle United delivered a rousing performance at St James’ Park, sweeping aside Manchester United 4-1 in a dominant display that sent their recovering manager Eddie Howe a much-needed morale boost.
With Howe temporarily sidelined, it was Harvey Barnes who took centre stage, netting twice in a ruthless second-half showing that propelled the Magpies to fourth in the Premier League table. The win marked Newcastle’s first league double over Manchester United in nearly a century, adding a historic flourish to an already emphatic result.
Sandro Tonali had opened the scoring midway through the first half with a crisp volley following a well-crafted move involving Kieran Trippier and Alexander Isak. But the lead didn’t last long, as Alejandro Garnacho levelled for the visitors with a clinical finish after a swift break engineered by Manuel Ugarte and Diogo Dalot.
Despite being on level terms at the break, the home side returned with renewed purpose. Within moments of the restart, Tino Livramento’s darting run and clever delivery set up Jacob Murphy, who squared for Barnes to restore Newcastle’s advantage.
Manchester United’s defence unravelled under pressure. Joshua Zirkzee’s promising afternoon ended in disappointment as he hobbled off with a hamstring issue, and substitute Rasmus Hojlund struggled to influence proceedings. As the visitors faltered, Barnes capitalised once more — this time pouncing on a slip by Noussair Mazraoui to blast past Altay Bayindir, who endured a tough Premier League debut in place of the dropped André Onana.
Things went from bad to worse for Bayindir when a poor clearance fell straight to Bruno Guimaraes, who gratefully buried Newcastle’s fourth, sealing a memorable win under the watchful eyes of assistant manager Jason Tindall.
While United showed sporadic signs of promise going forward — with Garnacho threatening on the counter and Zirkzee linking neatly with Bruno Fernandes — their defensive frailties were once again ruthlessly exposed.
For Newcastle, it was a fourth consecutive league victory and another statement of intent in the race for Champions League football. And for Howe, it was a timely tonic — even from a hospital bed — as his side continues to rise with flair, belief, and a touch of Barnes brilliance.
