Manchester United’s league form this season has been so bad that their remaining domestic fixtures, with a sensational relegation avoided, pale in insignificance in comparison to their efforts on the continent.
That fact will not make events at St James’ Park on Sunday any easier for Ruben Amorim to stomach after witnessing his entire tenure in England condensed into 90 miserable minutes in the northeast.
It appears bursting the Newcastle positivity bubble is going to take some doing, with Harvey Barnes’ double inspiring the buoyant hosts, who celebrated tackles with a jubilant St James’s Park as if they were goals, to a fifth successive win in all competitions.
Amorim will be feeling less encouraged, however. At times, a much-changed United played some of their better football of the season. Their two biggest failings – not finishing off their promising moments and being easier to run through than wet tissue paper – nonetheless again proved their undoing.
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Newcastle came into the contest looking to do the league double over Sunday’s opponents for the first time since 1930-31. That accomplishment is not the daunting task it used to be, however. Four times is now the most it has happened in a single campaign to Manchester United since 1957-58.
Amorim made five changes to his United side for the trip to the northeast, with Thursday’s do-or-die Europa League quarter-final second leg against Lyon in mind. Struggling goalkeeper Andre Onana was taken out of the firing line after a turbulent few weeks on and off the pitch, with Altay Bayindir replacing him in his Premier League debut.
The visitors did quickly find their feet, with Joshua Zirkzee playing a sublime one-two with Bruno Fernandes before bringing a fine save out of Nick Pope in the home goal. It would have been United’s best goal for some time.
The hosts made their first big chance count, with Alexander Isak superbly lofting the ball over the visiting backline before Tonali slammed the ball home for the second successive home match.
United have conceded first in 19 league matches this term – their most in a single season since 2013-14 – with six games of the current campaign to go.
More thrilling football on the counter provided the equaliser, Alejandro Garnacho showing rare composure when put through on goal. The 20-year-old netted his 15th Premier League goal; the second-most by a South American player aged under-21, only behind Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus and one more than Cristiano Ronaldo managed in England before hitting 21.
The away side needed a solid start to the second half to really get back into the contest, but were too easily broken down by Newcastle full-back Tino Livramento, who breezed past Noussair Mazraoui as if he was not there, before Barnes tapped home, somehow beating two United defenders to the ball.
Barnes could not believe his luck as he was allowed the freedom of the city to run straight through the heart of United’s backline to become only the second Newcastle player to score a double against United in the Premier League era.
The calamitous visitors were not done there, as Bayindir’s clearance was intercepted by Joelinton, who squared for Guimaraes to seal a fine fifth successive win for Howe’s team.
It is nothing Amorim has not seen before. A makeshift defence and goalkeeper, against the team with more wins since mid-December than any Premier League except Liverpool, was always going to be got at.
It is just that there were moments of promise that better times lay ahead. That is likely to be the most frustrating thing.
