Two early Newcastle goals were enough to condemn Manchester United to a fourth straight defeat under Ruben Amorim.
Alexander Isak and Joelinton broke through the Red Devils' backline in the early stages to create a Rare win for the Magpies at Old Trafford. United staged a second-half comeback but Newcastle were able to hold on to their lead without much fanfare,
Chelsea's defeat at Ipswich means Newcastle are now just three points behind the Blues in fourth, while United remain in 14th ahead of a daunting trip to Anfield next Sunday.
How the game played out
Newcastle went into Monday night's contest in supreme scoring form and Amorim's team selection would only have emboldened the Magpies. The visitors had their way with United from the start, with a midfield triumvirate of Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and Joelinton outplaying the Red Devils' veteran pairing of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen in every way imaginable.
It took less than four minutes for the in-form visitors to open the scoring as Alexander Isak continued his impressive scoring run by heading home Lewis Hall's wicked delivery. The Swede was unchallenged after finishing from close range, with Lisandro Martinez – United's captain on the night – opting not to challenge the Newcastle striker.
The Argentine was at least able to compete with an onrushing Joelinton when he tried to turn in Anthony Gordon's cross, but Martinez was unable to win the duel and although the ball appeared to go through Joelinton's arm, VAR ruled against the tackle and Newcastle were .two goals for the better within 19 minutes.
It was one-way traffic and it should have been worse for Amorim's side before the coach decided to change the scheme and introduce Kobbie Mainoo for Joshua Zirkzee after 30 minutes. The Dutchman's exit was greeted with much fanfare around Old Trafford, which looked fierce come the summer – even if he had started the game poorly.
The change at least helped United stem the flow and they had their first positive moment in attack soon after Mainoo was introduced. Ramsus Hojlund, however, put his effort just wide after latching on to Martinez's pass from behind.
Casemiro then spurned a great chance on the stroke of half-time after a poor Fabian Schar delivery. The Brazilian picked out a first-time finish from Mainoo's pass, but his effort was deflected harmlessly over despite having all the time in the world to turn.
There was a steady improvement from Amorim's side after the interval, with Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt the Red Devils' back pair closing in on halving their deficit before the hour mark.
Substitute Leny Yoro was the next United centre-half to score, but the young Frenchman headed just wide from Eriksen's corner. That was the last notable moment in either box, with Newcastle failing but not needing to test Andre Onana in the second half. There was some focus on Marcus Rashford, who returned to Amorim's side, but the Englishman did not feature on Monday night as United slumped to a fourth successive defeat.
This was always going to be a difficult task for United given the weaknesses they have continued to display under new management, but Amorim's midfield selection set the Red Devils up for failure.
The Portuguese manager was without suspended duo Bruno Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte, meaning he had limited options, but his decision to start veteran duo Casemiro and Christian Eriksen at pivot was a major contributor to their dreadful start. on monday night.
There were a host of issues, but Newcastle's congestion in the middle of the park was the most noticeable. The trio of Guimaraes, Tonali and Joelinton have been making waves in recent weeks, and they ran the show in the first 30 minutes here. The aging United pilot was constantly overstretched and mercilessly overworked. The pair must have looked on with envy as Newcastle's technicians seamlessly coalesced around them before feeding the likes of Isak and Gordon to torment a weak backline.
“Remember when we could do this, old friend?”
Newcastle's lead forced Amorim into an obvious change after 30 minutes and Joshua Zirkzee's withdrawal led to a rather ugly sequence involving widespread cheering and a tearful (and humiliated) Dutchman reportedly walking down the tunnel.
Kobbie Mainoo was not only responsible for United's improvement once he came on, but United were at least able to compete for the remaining hour.
It seems like a number of teams have ended barren runs at the Theater of Dreams in recent years. This was once an amphitheater feared by the entirety of the division, but sides have enjoyed trips to Old Trafford for the past decade.
Newcastle, however, have continued to struggle in the red half of Manchester since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson. Before Monday's game, the Magpies had won just one of their previous 39 trips to United's ground. Their last win came in December 2013 when Yohan Cabaye scored the only goal of the game to defeat David Moyes' Red Devils.
There was a feeling that Howe's side, given the way they have performed over the past month, were set to triumph at Old Trafford for the third time in the league since 1972. Such predictions were vindicated early on and it looked like they'd blitz ahead of their hosts, but they were forced to dig in time and time again during the second half to secure a rare win.
Chelsea are suddenly just three points clear of Howe's outfit in fourth place.
There has been much debate surrounding Isak's future at Newcastle in recent months, with reports suggesting a return to the Champions League could be required for the Magpies to retain their superstar in 2025.
Isak is certainly doing everything in his power to get the Magpies back into Europe's premier club competition after they made it to the group stage in their previous venture two seasons ago.
It took the Swede less than four minutes to score for a sixth consecutive Premier League game as he headed home Hall's cross. He was denied a second later in the first half for offside, but the finish was nevertheless superb and a testament to his current form.
Isak proved once again in the Theater of Dreams that he is much more than a simple scorer. United's back line could do little to track his attacks in forward positions and moves into wide areas, and they were even more helpless when Isak got the ball. He was able to repeatedly go past optimistic challengers, which opened up the defensive structure of the hosts.
There isn't a better striker in the Premier League going into 2025.