Derby delight turned to despair for Eddie Howe on Sunday lunchtime, as he watched his side go in at the break a goal ahead, only to concede twice during a meek second half performance that ended in a deserved defeat by their local rivals.

Winless in their last five home derbies, Anthony Gordon became the first Magpie to open the scoring against the mackems here since Kevin Nolan in 2010 on 10 minutes.

Nick Woltemade - restored to the side in midfield after Sandro Tonali was ruled out - caught out Luke O'Nien in his own box and superby set up United's number 10 to net.

The early domination of the hosts failed to translate into further goals or efforts on target however - Anthony Elanga firing into the side netting and Sven Botman heading Lewis Hall's centre from the left off the goal frame - the latter in the closing moments of the first half.

At the other end Aaron Ramsdale blocked a 24th minute effort from distance by Chemsdine Talbi, as the visitors belatedly began to get a foothold in the game, having posed a threat only from long throws delivered with varying degrees of accuracy and legality.

Although surviving the post-interval sluggishness, the enforced replacement of Botman in accordance with concussion protocols would fatally unsettle United - the game also held up at that point as a consequence of racial abuse directed at a visiting player from someone in the East Stand.

Within three minutes of Malick Thiaw arriving, the mackems levelled when Ramsdale's weak punch ended up with the lively Talbi planting the ball into the Leazes End net.

A triple switch soon after brought some life into the ailing home side, Jacob Murphy quickly testing a nervy Melker Ellborg, who unconvincingly conceded a corner.

The black and whites then thought that they'd regained the lead when a 76th minute corner from the right was headed home by Thiaw at the near post - only for a VAR review to quickly establish a foul by Murphy on the goalkeeper as the ball came over - he may also have been in an offside position.

Worse was to come, as Brian Brobbey forced the ball over the line from close range at the second attempt in the final seconds of normal time to win it for the blue-clad visitors and see United drop down the table in twelfth ahead of a 20 day fixture break.

This display and result were quite literally indefensible.

Regardless of the effects of Wednesday's Champions League visit to Spain, to be playing second fiddle to their local rivals for the second time in three months is unacceptable. We may well be a better team as Anthony Gordon claimed, but one with pea-shaped hearts.

Once again United were out fought, out-run and ultimately overcome. The lateness of the winner may sting, but much of what preceded it meant their second goal was no surprise - for us to collect a point here would have been generous given their drop-off.

That's a damning indictment given how comfortable things had seemed at the break after being gifted a goal by an awful side in terrible form, who had managed to score just eight away goals in fifteen and a half matches on their top flight return.

45 minutes later though that that become ten away goals and the hosts were left to contemplate a seasonal league high tally of 22 points tossed away from winning positions.

To have posted another two horrendous second half non-performances in five days suggests that the current squad are physically and mentally shot.

The former may be inevitable given the unrelenting nature of our fixture list: this was our 27th game since losing on wearside, the mackems were playing their eighteenth. It's also becoming harder and harder to paper over the cracks when players are missing, misfiring or untrusted.

We may have banished the quirk of failing to win a league game without Bruno Guimaraes, but without his goals, assists and sheer determination we're a shabby outfit. Reworking this season's league table without his late winners etc. doesn't make for great reading....

The mentality factor is less excusable and more worrying for a side that before this season was applauded for spirit and fortitude. There was precious little of that on show though, despite the gravity of the occasion. As Ruud Gullit found out to his cost, this isn't just another game.

Only those in the dressing room know why that spirit has ebbed away; only they can do something about it.  As to whether Howe can rectify it, he certainly couldn't here today - and was left in no doubt some fans after full time, in stark contrast to the open top bus parade this time last year.