Half time: Magpies 0 Red Devils 0

He stoops to conquer

65 mins Alexander Isak's pressure on David de Gea brought a throw in that was moved across the pitch by Jacob Murphy and Isak before Bruno Guimaraes centred from the right side of the box towards the back post. ASM acrobatically headed the ball back across goal and Joe Willock supplied the finish, stooping to nod home from a yard out in front of the Gallowgate End. 1-0

88 mins After Sean Longstaff was clumsily upended out by the right hand touchline, Kieran Trippier sent over a free kick from near the corner flag Callum Wilson to rise unchecked and bury a header into the Gallowgate goal and send SJP into orbit. 2-0

Full time: Magpies 2 Red Devils 0

"He released the ball well, and I thought he made really good, intelligent decisions. He played very well and is in a good place mentally.”

On the injury situation after this game:

"I’m unsure at the moment: Joe Willock’s the obvious one. He was feeling his hamstring, but he wasn’t sure if it was cramp or something more sinister. So we’ll wait and see. 

"A couple more players (are) just nursing little things because of the physical game that it was.”

Dan Burn:

"Really special. 

"For a long time we’ve always disliked Man United as Newcastle fans. We owed them one. It was good to get a win today.... over the seasons we’ve always wanted to beat Man United. 

"Great performance from the lads...delighted to get the win and clean sheet."

A wobbly-headed Erik ten Hag said:

"I hate to say it, they were better today. Especially in determination, passion and desire. They wanted to win more this week. So they won.

"I saw with them a desire, they wanted revenge and they got it. We have to leave it behind, it's a setback and [we need to] learn from this lesson about passion and desire.

"We had our opportunities but then you have to go for goal with the determination they did. It wasn't good enough. We allowed them too many chances. In the past we were better. You have to be hungry, give everything, every game.

"We didn't break them. That is the conclusion, we didn't create good chances. Best chance is for Anthony Marital on the equaliser. Our attacking game wasn’t good enough. I don’t want to focus on one person. It was a team performance.

"I think it was deserving for Newcastle. They were more determined and had more passion and desire to score a goal. Also, to defend their box, which they did very well. We had the spaces and the opportunities but we did not use them.

"David (de Gea) made one great save. They had many shots from the edge and we put in blocks there. But we have to stop them before they come in to the final third. We didn't do that well. The blocks were good but better is to stop it at source.

"You have to see that every game is important, every league is important. We know how tough it is to come here and I know they want to take revenge. You have to show the same passion, desire and determination of the opponent. We didn't and we got killed."

On the substitutions: 

“We were not happy. We played too high in midfield and it was easy for their two centre-halves to go and attack. We had to play a little bit deeper. Therefore we made the sub. Then we made changes to bring more energy. 

"Then in the end we were losing so we decided to go with three at the back and play an extra offensive player and I decided to take both centre-backs off with Lindelof to defend the spaces.

“We have to deal with the setback and learn a lesson. So many times recently, we came back after Liverpool. I don’t have that concern. I believe in the team. I believe we’ll bounce back.”

A sour-faced Luke Shaw whined:

"Not what we wanted. Not what we were expecting. When you come here to a tough stadium and a very good side and you don’t come with the right attitude and hunger it will be a tough day. That showed today. We deserved to lose.

"I don't think they won the game on quality today, they won it on passion, desire, hunger, attitude, and they had higher motivation than us and that can't be possible."

We beat you on passion, desire, hunger, attitude and trounced you on quality, Luke.

"I feel I say the same things every time we lose. It's not acceptable. At Manchester United that can't be possible."

Erik ten Hag, Friday on NUFC: "We know they delay, yeah"

Jacob Murphy, Sunday:

A thoroughly deserved success on Sunday left Newcastle United sitting third in the Premier League table, having reached a half century of points for the first time in ten top-flight seasons. 

Second half headers from Joe Willock and Callum Wilson gave Eddie Howe's side their first victory over the Red Devils in eight attempts - and a measure of revenge for defeat by the same margin at Wembley in the Carabao Cup Final back in February. 

That scoreline barely tells the story though of the most decisive Magpies victory against these opponents for many years, as the black and whites set about their task with clear determination and could easily have emulated that 5-0 scoreline of 1996, given the quantity of chances created. 

Despite having both Joelinton and Anthony Gordon available, Howe resisted the temptation to alter a winning side, fielding the line-up that had beaten Wolves and Nottingham Forest in succession games since returning empty-handed from the national stadium.

The visitors meanwhile fielded Marcus Rashford after another "will he/won't he" pre-NUFC pantomime, but in truth he barely provided nuisance value for his side. As one wag commented, his manager said he wouldn't play - and he was quite right....

More threatening (and irritating) was Brazilian winger Antony, whose runs in possession towards Newcastle left back Dan Burn looked a deliberate ploy. That he'd switched wings before the end of the opening period gives an indication of how that turned out....

Half time was reached with no score, due in part to an excellent double stop from David de Gea to deny Alexander Isak and Joe Willock in the 17th minute. The visiting goalkeeper also managed to ramp up an initially subdued atmosphere by time-wasting from the off, provoking audible unrest.

A trio of efforts from Sean Longstaff had raised hopes of a breakthrough, but the most glaring miss came four minutes before half time when great approach work from Allan Saint-Maximin laid on a golden chance for Willock. To his obvious anguish though, he drilled his shot into the Leazes End.

Into the second period and the black and whites maintained their attacking stance; Saint-Maximin continuing to be busy without supplying a killer pass. 

That all changed on 65 minutes, when Newcastle's willingness to chase lost causes finally bore fruit, just as Howe was readying a treble substitution.

Two (or perhaps three) of those about to be withdrawn then played key roles; Murphy combining with Isak for Bruno to cross from the right and ASM head back across goal to where Willock atoned for his earlier waywardness by finishing from almost on the goal line.

The relief in finally scoring against this lot was tangible on and off the field: the irritation at not sneaking a goal at Old Trafford giving way to the sheer frustration of Wembley  - all wiped out.

That assist was a reward for Maxi's most productive display since the visit of Manchester City here back in August, but he still made way for Joelinton moments later. Gordon meanwhile replaced Murphy, with the impending Isak/Wilson swap delayed for some time.

A raucous ground roared the hosts on as they went in search of a second goal; de Gea again earning his pay when diverting Joelinton's header on to the crossbar, before Fabian Schar's follow-up was scrambled clear by substitute Anthony Martial.

There was a collective intake of breath however in the 82nd minute, as Martial's shot was deflected wide with Nick Pope already committed to covering the other side of his goal. 

A baffling ploy by the away side to withdraw both central defenders was then punished within five minutes; Kieran Trippier sending over a free kick from near the corner flag on the Newcastle right for Wilson to bury his header into the Gallowgate goal and send SJP into orbit.

There was still time for Schar - who had twice gone down with head injuries earlier on - to swap passes with Bruno and fire agonisingly wide.  Whether it was 2-0 or 3-0 though, there was only one United on the field today - and it wasn't Erik's idle lot, who badly missed the suspended Casemiro. 

To a man, the Magpies chased, pressed and fought as if their lives depended on it. For a host of reasons that wasn't the case 35 days earlier at Wembley but here today on home soil, we just wanted it more. The outcome was a result and performance matched only by last season's home victory over Arsenal: both prompting that rare and joyous feeling of floating out of the ground.

Candidates for man of the match abounded - apart from our mostly unemployed goalkeeper - but in addition to a welcome return to the scoresheet for Wilson, the level of involvement and commitment that Gordon displayed when introduced on the right flank seemed significant. 

Ineligible to play at Wembley, the former Everton man demonstrated a combination of the skill and combativeness that stood out when scouted. Like the rest of his team mates today, you would hate to play against him - how many times has that applied to us in recent years? not many I'd wager.

Present today but facing an uncertain future as he returns from serious injury was the last player to score the winner for us against Manchester United. 

Matty Longstaff's memorable strike in 2019 beat de Gea at the Gallowgate End, but that win was on a par with a cup victory in terms of the wider context to that league season - taking us to sixteenth, three places below where we finished.

The challenge is to make days like these the norm, rather than an isolated high water mark. In terms of finance and harmony, we've never been in a better position to do just that since the "Howay 5-0" day of October 1996 - hopefully we'll not need a video release to recall a joyous one-off this time.    

Biffa