Newcastle United delivered an emphatic 4-1 victory over Manchester United at St. James’ Park on Sunday, climbing to fourth in the Premier League despite the absence of manager Eddie Howe, who watched from his hospital bed after being admitted on Friday.
Assistant manager Jason Tindall revealed that Howe had sent congratulatory messages to the team following their dominant display. “I had a message from him just before I came to do the press, congratulating the team on the performance,” Tindall said. “He was able to watch the game and I’m sure that performance will have put a smile on his face.”
Sandro Tonali opened the scoring for Newcastle in the 24th minute with a superb strike, though Alejandro Garnacho equalized before halftime. The Magpies then overwhelmed their visitors after the break, with Harvey Barnes netting twice and captain Bruno Guimaraes capitalizing on a mistake by Manchester United’s debutant goalkeeper Altay Bayindir to complete the rout.
The victory continues Newcastle’s remarkable resurgence under Howe’s leadership. Since his appointment in November 2021, the club has transformed from relegation candidates to Champions League contenders. This season, despite missing key players like Callum Wilson and Sven Botman for extended periods, Newcastle have maintained their push for European qualification.
For Manchester United, the defeat represented another setback in Ruben Amorim’s challenging tenure. The Portuguese manager, who made several changes with Thursday’s Europa League quarter-final second leg against Lyon in mind, defended his selection decisions: “We made mistakes and they were better. Even if we put a different XI, we don’t know the result.”
Newcastle could climb to third place with a win against Crystal Palace on Wednesday, potentially overtaking Nottingham Forest. Whether Howe will return to the dugout for that fixture remains uncertain, but Sunday’s performance demonstrated the strong foundations he has built at the club.
The result also highlighted the contrasting trajectories of these two storied clubs, with Newcastle’s upward momentum continuing while Manchester United struggle for consistency under their third manager of the season.