Harvey Barnes sent head coach Eddie Howe the best possible get-well message as Newcastle brushed aside Manchester United 4-1 to climb into fourth place in the Premier League table.
Barnes struck twice after the break at a packed St James’ Park after Alejandro Garnacho had cancelled out Sandro Tonali’s opener, with Bruno Guimaraes’ late strike completing a first league double over the men from Old Trafford since the 1930-31 season to put a smile on Howe’s face in his hospital bed.
Assistant Jason Tindall looked on as the Magpies claimed a fourth successive league win to leave themselves just a point behind third-placed Nottingham Forest with a game in hand.
For Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim, who handed goalkeeper Altay Bayindir a league debut in place of the error-prone Andre Onana, there were flashes of positivity going forward, but a calamitous defensive frailty, the Turkey international included, proved fatal.
The hosts were first to threaten when, after Kieran Trippier had picked off Joshua Zirkzee’s crossfield pass and fed Jacob Murphy, the wide man whistled a skidding third-minute shot just wide of Bayindir’s far post.
Zirkzee forced Nick Pope into a fine reaction save after combining beautifully with Bruno Fernandes to work his way to the edge of the penalty area as the visitors responded. Still, Newcastle took a 24th-minute lead when Trippier slid the ball into Alexander Isak’s feet. He teed it up before clipping a pass into the run of Tonali, who volleyed sweetly past Bayindir.
Bayindir produced a stunning save to keep out Isak’s 34th-minute volley from a Tino Livramento cross as the pressure mounted, and his side was back in it within three minutes when Manuel Ugarte played in Diogo Dalot and he sped upfield before feeding Garnacho to shoot across Pope and in off the foot of the post.
Pope denied Garnacho a second at the end of another pacy break as the half-time whistle approached, but the teams went in level at the break.
Teenage Harry Amass blazed over after Dalot had gone down under Tonali’s covering challenge as the second half resumed at breakneck pace.
But it was the Magpies who regained the lead within seconds when Livramento skipped past Dalot and crossed for Murphy to stab the ball back across for Barnes to score.
Zirkzee’s afternoon came to an unfortunate conclusion 10 minutes into the second half when he appeared to damage a hamstring as he embarked on a mazy run from his half and had to be replaced by Rasmus Hojlund, with Mason Mount and Patrick Dorgu coming on for Garnacho and Amass at the same time.
But Newcastle smelled blood and pinned the Red Devils back, deep inside their half, and they extended their lead with 64 minutes gone when Noussair Mazraoui slipped under pressure from Barnes, who raced in on goal before blasting the ball emphatically past Bayindir.
Bayindir’s afternoon took a further turn for the worse when his 77th-minute clearance was headed back by Joelinton to Guimaraes, who made no mistake with just the keeper to beat.
