Premier League Manchester United 0 Newcastle United 2 Full time

Newcastle forward Alexander Isak is unmarked as he heads the opener against Manchester United at Old Trafford

Newcastle beat Manchester United in a league game at Old Trafford for only the second time since 1972 - and condemned their hosts to a third straight home loss for the first time in 45 years.

And not since Sir Matt Busby's days, in September 1962, have Manchester United lost five times in the league in a calendar month.

Early goals from Alexander Isak and Joelinton gave Eddie Howe's men a thoroughly deserved victory that left them fifth in an impressive end to 2024.

Newcastle have won their past four Premier League games, with the excellent Isak taking his tally to 12 and his recent strike rate to eight in six games, with six in successive games.

In contrast, the home side - who last lost three successive home league games in 1979 - were abysmal.

Head coach Ruben Amorim replaced forward Joshua Zirkzee with Kobbie Mainoo in the 33rd minute, confirmation that he had got a starting line-up that paired veterans Casemiro and Christian Eriksen together in midfield hopelessly wrong.

Marcus Rashford was brought back on to the substitutes' bench, but despite watching his side slide to a fourth successive defeat and fail to score for the third game on the trot, Amorim opted against introducing the England man.

Manchester United end the year in 14th place, seven points above the relegation zone. What was once was humorous jibing about a fight to avoid the drop is now a little too close to comfort - and league leaders Liverpool lie in wait at Anfield on Sunday.

Newcastle exploit Man Utd defensive weakness

Newcastle didn't need to come up with anything radical to seize control of the match.

In an age of analysts, throw-in coaches and fitness gurus, a TV set with an ability to record would have been enough.

Manchester United's deficiencies in defending set-pieces have been highlighted in every post-match inquest since Nottingham Forest came to this stadium on 7 December and scored after two minutes with a corner dropped to the near post at the edge of the six-yard area. That came in the immediate aftermath of Amorim's team conceding twice in the same manner at Arsenal.

Manchester United have conceded twice in three games direct from corners. So, when Bruno Guimaraes found Lewis Hall in space down the left, a cross was the obvious option. When Anthony Gordon cut back in a roughly similar position a quarter of an hour later, he did the same thing.

On the first occasion, five home defenders were in a line. Yet Isak still got a free header to score. On the second, Joelinton outmuscled Lisandro Martinez as he jumped and the outcome was the same as Newcastle celebrated their good fortune.

It was 2-0 by the 19th minute and could have been more. Isak raced through after being left unattended by the touchline, but chipped a weak chip straight at Andre Onana. Gordon curled an effort over from the edge of the area and Joelinton blasted over after Gordon had skinned Noussair Mazraoui by the touchline.

In addition, Kieran Tripper tried to exploit Manchester United's glaring weakness by going for goal direct from a corner, which had Onana scrambling to punch away at his near post.

For Newcastle, with a Champions League place to fight for and a Carabao Cup semi-final next week against Arsenal – and prospect of a first trophy since 1969 – the rest of the contest was about containment.

This has not always been the best season for the Magpies, but with a new year approaching, Howe has engineered his side into a very encouraging situation.

Man Utd's relegation nightmare becoming real

At one end of the stadium, home fans chanted their defiance in support of "Amorim's red and white army". At the other, Newcastle's jubilant followers sang "say hello to Sunderland", in recognition of their great rivals' current status as a Championship club.

The idea Manchester United may end up in a relegation battle is still fanciful, but the absolute reality is Ipswich's victory over Chelsea has dragged Kieran McKenna's side to within seven points of Amorim's struggling outfit, whose glaring weakness at the most basic of English traditions, defending crosses, is having disastrous consequences game after game.

Amorim keeps saying it will get better, but Sir Jim Ratcliffe has already proved, with the appointment and dismissal of sporting director Dan Ashworth after just five months, that he is prepared to make brutal decisions for what he may perceive as the greater good.

Zirkzee's exit was one of those. In fairness to the forward, any of the home outfield players could have been taken off at that point. It had been that bad.

But the Dutchman has not looked remotely like justifying the £36.5m the Red Devils paid Bologna for him in the summer. But, as with so many of their players, if Amorim wanted to get rid of him during next month's transfer window, where would the buyer come from?

The former Sporting boss did see his side improve after the break - but that was not saying much after their first-half efforts.

Harry Maguire hit the post with a diving header on a night when he regained the captain's armband following Martinez's second-half substitution. Despite this, as with Manchester United on a whole, it was not an occasion Maguire will remember with any affection.