Dominant Newcastle pile the misery on sorry Manchester United

Miguel Almiron and on-loan Chelsea full-back Lewis Hall, with his first goal for the club, put Newcastle on the brink of a place in the last eight and enhanced the feeling that Howe could well deliver silverware to Tyneside this season.

But, not for the first time in recent weeks, it was hard to envisage how ten Hag can plug a Titanic-sized hole in one of the most spectacular shipwrecks of a football club in recent memory.

The third goal, from Joe Willock, summed up the misery that is Manchester United, particularly their defence, at present as home sub Sofyan Amrabat was robbed of the ball far too easily by Joelinton in the centre circle.

He pushed the ball through for Willock who ran through unimpeded and, despite the presence of numerous red shirts, still had time and space to thump the ball in from 18 yards.

Before beating Newcastle in the cup final in February, ten Hag had a 72.5% win percentage and had lost just 15% of his games. In nine months since, his win rate has plummeted to under 53% and his losing ratio more than doubled to over 36.

By any metric, it has been a spectacular collapse.

Howe had made eight changes for the last 16 tie, with an eye firmly on Saturday’s visit of Arsenal, but it took barely a minute for fitness concerns to rear their head with Matt Targett limping off with a hamstring injury.

The Newcastle manager’s response was to bring on an attacking substitute in Almiron, one of a handful of players who were involved in this competition’s Final last season.

Just three home starters, and two from Newcastle, also started that Wembley date in February, won handily by ten Hag as he collected the first silverware of his reign, and it was not hard to imagine that both managers are currently more focused on league affairs than potential cup honours.

One of the goalscorers at Wembley, Casemiro, produced the first effort of the re-match, taking hold of Antony’s lay-off for a 20-yard shot which was comfortably held by Martin Dubravka, the keeper who spent a forgettable loan spell at Old Trafford last season.

Meanwhile, one of his younger team-mates, Hannibal Mejbri, seemed a little too keen to make an impression on a rare start with a booking after 13 minutes, for a foul on Sean Longstaff, and a lucky escape just four minutes later when he brought down Emil Krafth and might have seen red.

It was a stroke of fortune for the Tunisian international, a point not lost on the 9,000 travelling Newcastle fans who soon forgot about that perceived injustice and had something to cheer about.

On 28 minutes, Tino Livramento made a brilliant challenge on Alejandro Garnacho to win the ball deep in his own half and set off on a rampaging run upfield.

To what must have been his amazement, the field opened before him as he approached the United area and he had space to time a perfect pass for Almiron to slide the ball efficiently past Andre Onana, as Diogo Dalot made a despairing late lunge.

Ten Hag’s worst fears were being realised, what could have been a morale-massaging break from the problems of Premier League play was turning into a continuation of a nightmare which left his team facing a possible eighth defeat in just 15 league and cup games so far this season.

And the result was about to edge a step closer after 35 minutes when Newcastle doubled their lead, giving the scoreline a true reflection of their dominance.

Ten Hag’s men were caught out by a quick Newcastle free-kick, defended untidily and, when Harry Maguire only half headed clear Willock’s cross, Hall was unmarked on the edge off the box and volleyed into the far corner.

Dalot finally responded for the Reds, with a shot from well over 20 yards that flew wide of the far post, and Mount tested Dubravka, but it was a dismal half of football which offered no positives and was greeted with widespread booing from the home fans.

Ten Hag had looked furious throughout much of the first half and responded with two halftime substitutions thought he could have made 11 if rules had allowed.

The removal of Dalot, for Aaron Wan-Bissaka, certainly added an attacking option with the full-back’s cross winning an early corner and his fellow sub, Amrabat, curling a shot well over.

The improvement was a mirage and the third goal justice for the visitors who might even have added a fourth through a spectacular volley by Longstaff.

Man United (4-2-3-1): Onana 6; Dalot 4 (Wan-Bissaka 45, 5), Lindelof 4, Maguire 5, Reguilon 5; Mejbri 5 (Fernandes 64, 5), Casemiro 5 (Amrabat 45, 5); Antony 6, Mount 5, Garnacho 5 (Rashford 65, 5); Martial 4 (Hojlund 63, 5).

Substitutes (not used): Bayindir, Eriksen, Wan-Bissaka, Evans, McTominay.

Newcastle (4-3-3): Dubrovka 7; Livramento 8, Krafth 7, Dummett 7, Targett (Almiron 3, 7); Hall 9 (Burn 74, 5), Longstaff 7, Willock 8 (Guimaraes 64, 6); Ritchie 6 (Trippier 74, 5), Joelinton 7, Gordon 6 (Wilson 64, 5).

Substitutes (not used): Lascelles, Karius, Diallo, Parkinson.

Referee: R Jones 6.