Barnes double keeps Newcastle upwardly mobile

Eddie Howe was missing, watching on television from a hospital bed and too ill to activate a telephone line to the home dugout, yet his absence proved irrelevant.

- Louise Taylor

Newcastle's players were so determined to send their manager a meaningful get-well message that they ultimately put on the sort of show that not merely proved Howe's hard work on Tyneside is yielding rich rewards but blew Manchester United away.

On an afternoon when Thomas Tuchel, England's head coach, occupied a seat in the directors' box, Tino Livramento and Harvey Barnes pressed their international claims. Livramento had an excellent game out of position at left-back as goals from the similarly outstanding Sandro Tonali, Barnes (twice) and Bruno Guimarães lifted Newcastle to fourth in the table.

The triumphalist strains of Status Quo's Rocking All Over the World that boomed out of the sound system at the final whistle were not misplaced; a Champions League place appears well within their grasp.

If Howe's deputy, Jason Tindall, had reason to punch the air in delight at the final whistle, his Manchester United counterpart, Ruben Amorim, seemed a walking, talking study in bewildered despair.

The Portuguese's side - in mitigation fairly heavily rotated as the Europa League is prioritised - have slipped to 14th and another awkward inquest centred on defending and goalkeeping doubtless awaited them on their return to Manchester.

Only two minutes into a long-awaited Premier League debut, Altay Bayindir found himself picking the ball out of his net.