Newcastle United recorded their fourth straight Premier League win after a 2-0 victory over struggling Manchester United at Old Trafford.
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First-half headers from Alexander Isak and Joelinton kept the high-flying Magpies in fifth place, while condemning Ruben Amorim’s side to a third successive league defeat.
Just over three minutes had been played when Isak nodded home his 12th goal of the season from Lewis Hall’s cross.
Joelinton made it 2-0 inside the opening 20 minutes and, though their opponents improved as the contest wore on, the visitors were never in genuine danger of surrendering their advantage.
Eddie Howe’s side climbed to fifth and within three points of fourth-place Chelsea, who were beaten by struggling Ipswich Town at Portman Road, while the Red Devils remain 14th.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
19 | +15 | 35 |
| 5 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
19 | +11 | 32 |
| 6 |
Man City
MCI
|
19 | +6 | 31 |
| 7 |
Bournemouth
BOU
|
19 | +6 | 30 |
| 8 |
Fulham
FUL
|
19 | +3 | 29 |
| 9 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
19 | -3 | 29 |
How the match unfolded
The Magpies made a confident start and were 1-0 up inside just four minutes as superb build-up in the middle of the park led to Hall’s inviting cross being nodded home by Isak.
Newcastle doubled their lead in similar fashion soon after, with Joelinton rising above Lisandro Martinez to bundle past Andre Onana, while only the offside flag prevented Isak from adding a third.
Rasmus Hojlund shot marginally wide as the hosts sought a response at the other end, with Casemiro failing to hit the target from close range after a poor giveaway from Fabian Schar.
Amorim’s side continued to threaten after the break and went close to pulling a goal back when Harry Maguire struck a post just before the hour mark.
Substitute Leny Yoro also headed wide from a corner as the breakthrough ultimately eluded the Red Devils, with Newcastle comfortably seeing out only a second Premier League win at Old Trafford.
Amorim’s torrid start continues
Never before in the Premier League era had the Red Devils suffered three straight league defeats at Old Trafford, last doing so in 1979.
But the struggles of their current crop of players was evident with Newcastle allowed to quickly stamp their authority on proceedings.
Twice, Amorim’s side were overrun in midfield before they failed to deal with a cross from the left flank that culminated in a goal, with Isak and Joelinton profiting.
Amorim made the bold call to replace Joshua Zirkzee after just 33 minutes, though the introduction of Kobbie Mainoo certainly redressed the balance in the middle of the park.
The hosts definitely improved thereon and were unfortunate not to reduce their arrears, though the damage was already done by those two first-half goals, with the returning Marcus Rashford made to watch on from the bench.
Occupying 14th place – their lowest position at the turn of a year in the Premier League era – things do not get any easier for United, who travel to Premier League leaders Liverpool on Sunday, before an FA Cup trip to Arsenal the following weekend.
Magpies continue to soar
Only once in the past half a century had Newcastle enjoyed a league victory at Old Trafford, with Yohan Cabaye their hero on this ground in a 1-0 win in December 2013.
However, if that was on the minds of Howe’s players, it certainly did not show. Indeed, 11 years on, this is a team that had scored 11 unanswered goals in their last three league matches.
Newcastle quickly settled into their rhythm and their confidence was flowing from the kick-off. Isak is very much the Premier League’s man in form, and he was in the right place at the right time once again to find the net for a sixth consecutive game.
Joelinton was then on target for a second successive match and, in fairness, the visitors could count themselves unfortunate not to have further increased their advantage – Sandro Tonali going the closest when he hit a post.
Although their opponents rallied, Newcastle remained stubborn defensively with several crucial blocks to keep them at bay while preserving their lead and, ultimately, a fourth straight victory without conceding.
They will be hoping to continue the year-end form into 2025, with a trip to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday up next.
Match reports
Man Utd report | Newcastle report
What the managers said
Ruben Amorim: "It is really hard. It is one of the worst moments in the history of our club, and we have to accept that. Another loss in front of our own supporters.
"In this moment it is really tough to turn around results because we don't have a lot of time to train the base of the way we want to play. In the bad situations you need that base to hold on to. In the second half they really tried, it was more like the value of the team. "We were close to scoring once but they were better.
"Yes we are [too easy to score against] but also in some moments we had some chances to score and didn't and that also makes a difference."
Eddie Howe: "We know this has been an unkind fixture to us for a long, long time. To almost break new ground here and win in the manner that we did is really pleasing.
"Early in the season we were on the other end of it by conceding early goals and it makes such a difference [reversing it]. We gave ourselves mountains to climb at times, particularly on the road, and it is great to reverse it the last few games. Those goals have helped with momentum and confidence and from that point we have never looked back.
"[Alexander Isak] has been really, really good. His all round game is really strong. He can do a bit of everything. Most importantly he needs to be in the right place at the right time to score goals. Early in the match it was a great cross from Lewis Hall and Alex was there with the header."
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Key facts
Since Ruben Amorim’s first match in charge on 24 November, only Southampton (seven) have lost more times in all competitions among Premier League clubs than Man Utd (six), while the Red Devils have shipped the joint-most goals (21, level with Spurs).
Man Utd will end New Year’s Eve in 14th place in the Premier League, their lowest position at the turn of a year in the league since 1989, when they ended that year in 15th, eventually finishing 13th.
Isak has scored more Premier League goals in December than any other player (eight), while he’s the second Newcastle player to score eight in one month, after Callum Wilson in April 2023.
This is only Newcastle’s third away league win in their last 57 visits to United (D17 L37), following wins in 1971/72 and 2013/14.