Manchester United vs Newcastle LIVE: Premier League result, score ...

Ruben Amorim was crouching, shaking his head in disbelief. Even a brief time in charge of Manchester United has acquainted him with disappointment but nothing he had witnessed to date had seemed this disastrous. As Newcastle United powered to a victory where their regret should be that it wasn’t a thrashing, Amorim’s ideas were unravelling before his eyes.

Having warned his job could be in danger if United carried on losing, his team produced a first 35 minutes so abject that it suggested perilous times may await. In that context, an eventual 2-0 defeat was relatively respectable. This promised to be five or six, the sort of scoreline that would echo through the ages.

It was still a fifth league defeat in a month, something United had not suffered since 1962. It was another historic low for a club who seem to specialise in plummeting to new depths. No manager has made such a bad start at the club for nine decades. No United team had lost three consecutive home league games for 45 years. This one were beaten inside 20 minutes.

Alexander Isak speaking to Sky Sports after the match:

“It feels great. We haven’t won in a long time here, it was a great performance and the perfect way to end the year,” he said. “Our intensity was really good, we pressed high, made regains and counter-attacks. The challenge was to have the same intensity here as we do at home - the first half paid off.

“We’ve been much better lately, the challenge is to play the same way home and away. We’ve done that the last weeks and been consistent.”

Richard Jolly at full time:

“Newcastle's players applaud their fans, who chorus the name of Bruno Guimaraes. Manchester United's do a lap of dishonour, thanking the minority of supporters who are still here. They form two very different pictures but sum up the night of the two clubs.”

A quiet enough second half with Newcastle opting for control for the most part, and Man United utterly unable to raise their level to anything beyond a few crosses.

Newcastle claim a fourth straight victory and a fourth straight clean sheet, lifting them above Bournemouth and Man City back up to fifth - three points off Chelsea.

As for Man United, another shocking first-half showing leaves them 14th in the table, three straight defeats to their name and a trip to Anfield and league-leaders Liverpool next. Their fans - the ones who are left - boo the full-time whistle once more and 2024 comes to a dreadful end for them.

Into stoppage time we go - to keep you up to date, Ipswich have beaten Chelsea. That means Manchester United are now down to only seven points above the relegation zone. Newcastle are going fifth, back above Man City.

Three minutes added on and lots of Man United fans have already left.

Antony on for De Ligt. Mazraoui goes to right-sided centre-back - a third combination for the defence tonight. A more attack-minded wing-back, however, which has probably been required.

United have a few minutes left to mount an improbable late comeback.

Harvey Barnes comes on for Newcastle, as does Joe Willock, with Gordon and Murphy replaced.

Newcastle fans entertain themselves telling Ruben Amorim “you’re getting sacked in the morning”. Might be a bit early for that but things do have to pick up.

Fabian Schar is being booked for hauling down Hojlund and that’s a costly one - a suspension against Spurs. Needed to get through this game without a yellow to get past the 19-match barrier.

After tonight it’s ten yellows in 32 games for a two-match ban.

Nothing much of anything at all in the last ten minutes from Manchester United. As it stands they are heading not just for a third defeat in a row in the Premier League, but for a third in a row while failing to score too.

It’ll be five defeats in six - the outlier being that late turnaround against Man City, of all things.

That’s the closest United have come to scoring tonight. An Eriksen corner is met by Yoro and he rises well to nod towards Dubravka’s far post...but just a foot or two wide.

Richard Jolly:

“As tends to be the case, the cameras have panned to the Manchester United brains trust and picked out Jason Wilcox, the technical manager. It hasn't been a great few weeks for the managers he has played a part in appointing. The other was Russell Martin. At least the second half has indicated Amorim can reorganise a side after the shambles at the start.”

Newcastle seem to have a bit more control of the game again now. Man United’s spell was about 15 minutes, maybe 20, or improvement but not dominance, and certainly not creating anything of note themselves.

Now Hall fires one over, Isak makes ground down the right again, Joelinton probes centrally and Man United are back to chasing shadows. Isak has been different class tonight. 20 minutes remaining.