Harvey Barnes delivered a sensational second-half brace to propel Newcastle United to their fifth consecutive victory, as they dismantled Manchester United 4-1 at St. James’ Park on Sunday.
With head coach Eddie Howe absent due to hospitalization on Friday, Jason Tindall and Graeme Jones took charge and guided the Magpies to an emphatic win.
Sandro Tonali opened the scoring with a composed volley, only for Alejandro Garnacho to bring Ruben Amorim’s side level before the interval.
Despite the setback, Newcastle dominated proceedings after the break, led by the inspired Barnes, who turned the tide with two superb goals that put the home side firmly in control.
Bruno Guimarães added a late fourth, sealing a commanding performance that likely served as a morale booster for Howe during his recovery.
Newcastle nearly took the lead inside a minute, as Joelinton turned in Kieran Trippier’s cross, only for the flag to go up for offside, sparing goalkeeper Altay Bayındır an early blush.
Moments later, Jacob Murphy narrowly missed with a curling effort, while Manchester United’s response came through Joshua Zirkzee, whose snapshot forced a smart save from Nick Pope after combining well with Bruno Fernandes.
Alexander Isak, aiming to notch his 25th goal of the season, went close with a glancing header before turning provider with a sublime assist.
His initial flick may have been accidental, but the follow-up, a precise lofted pass—was no fluke, setting up Tonali to fire home a pinpoint low volley.
Isak nearly doubled the lead when Bayındır parried Livramento’s delivery into his path, but the keeper recovered well to keep out the Swede’s left-footed strike. Dan Burn also threatened with a header from a Barnes cross, but it sailed over the bar.
Just before halftime, Amorim’s team began to find a foothold. Diogo Dalot surged through midfield and fed Garnacho, whose angled strike clipped the post on its way past Pope to level the match.
The Argentine winger tested the Newcastle keeper again shortly after, but Pope was equal to the task.
Three minutes into the second half, Newcastle reclaimed the lead. Livramento glided past Dalot and delivered a low cross to the back post, where Murphy kept it alive with a first-time return into the danger zone. Barnes arrived perfectly to slam it home from close range.
Rasmus Højlund replaced the injured Zirkzee, with Mason Mount and Patrick Dorgu also introduced, but the changes did little to shift the momentum.
Burn came close with another header from a Murphy delivery, just before Barnes struck again.
This time, it came from a defensive error as Mazraoui lost his footing, gifting Barnes the ball. The 27-year-old needed no second invitation, powering through the defense and unleashing an unstoppable drive into the top corner, igniting the Gallowgate End.
That goal drained any remaining fight from Manchester United. The fourth came via a mistake from Bayındır, who passed straight to Joelinton. The midfielder quickly nodded the ball to Guimarães, who coolly slotted it into the net to cap off the rout.
The defeat leaves Amorim’s side languishing in 14th place, while Newcastle leap into the top four, continuing their determined push for a Champions League berth.
