'Yards off' - Jason Tindall's game-changing decision that saw Newcastle United embarrass Manchester United

Newcastle and Man United went in level at half-time at St James’ Park after Alejandro Garnacho canceled out Sandro Tonali’s impressive opener.

But a few tactical tweaks saw The Magpies race out of the blocks in the second half with Harvey Barnes putting them back in front within five minutes of the restart. Barnes then made it 3-1 after 64 minutes and Bruno Guimaraes wrapped up the points after Newcastle were rewarded for putting Man United under pressure even with a comfortable lead.

Joelinton pushed high and cut out goalkeeper Altay Bayındır’s attempted pass to set up an advanced Guimaraes to slot home.

The aggression from Newcastle and desire to punish Manchester United was there for all to see in St James’ Park, and the home fans certainly enjoyed it.

“They [the fans] were certainly right behind the lads,” Tindall said. “Obviously, we have to give them that opportunity to get behind us. We wanted to be aggressive today. We certainly did that, especially in the second half. That helped.”

The 4-1 win confirmed a first league double over Man United since 1931 and means Newcastle have now won five of their last six games against a side previously viewed as a real bogey side for the club. Now the tables have turned.

Sunday’s win takes Newcastle up to fourth in the table and they could go third with a result in their game in hand match against Crystal Palace on Wednesday night (7:30pm kick-off) at St James’ Park. Meanwhile, Manchester United are 14th and 18 points behind Newcastle in the table with only six games left to play.

Newcastle United second half changes make the difference

Without changing personnel, Newcastle were able to be much more effective in the second half thanks to a change in the way they pressed Manchester United. After a relatively even first half, The Magpies blew The Red Devils away in the second.

Explaining how that happened, Tindall told The Gazette: “We had to make a couple of adjustments to our press. We felt we were probably a few yards off.

“Certainly down the left-hand side, we weren't getting close enough to be able to regain the ball. To stop Manchester United's forward passes.

“In the second half, we closed in gaps. The distances were a lot shorter. It was a little bit more aggressive. I certainly thought that helped us, especially in the second half.

“We were able to have a lot more regains, create a few chances. Off the back of it, we scored a couple of goals.”

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Eddie Howe illness update

Tindall took charge of Newcastle on Sunday in the absence of head coach Eddie Howe, who was hospitalised on Friday due to an illness.

While Howe played no active role in training or the match itself, the culture he had built at the club over the last three-and-a-half years allowed Tindall and the coaching staff to seamlessly fill in and mastermind a convincing victory.

It’s unclear whether Howe will be back in the dugout for Wednesday’s match against Palace with Tindall set to continue to fill in for the time being.

“We've not spoken on the phone for a few days now,” Tindall said regarding Howe’s health. “Obviously, I was delighted to receive the [congratulations] message after the game. He was able to watch the game.

“Hopefully, the result of the performance will put a smile on his face. He'll be able to experience it. The sooner the manager is back, the better for everybody.”

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