Manchester United 4-1 Newcastle: Anthony Martial sparks comeback

Anthony Martial, Mason Greenwood and Marcus Rashford were all on target as Manchester United roared back from a goal down to secure an emphatic 4-1 victory over Newcastle at Old Trafford.

Four days on from their abject defeat at Watford, Manchester United's festive period looked set to take a further turn for the worse when Matty Longstaff - the match-winner in October's reverse fixture - fired Newcastle into a 17th-minute lead.

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But Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side produced a rip-roaring response as Martial's near-post drive, Greenwood's thunderbolt and a towering Rashford header sealed a devastating comeback that raised the roof inside Old Trafford before half-time.

Martial then punished a defensive error to secure his first home league double early in the second half as Manchester United returned to winning ways to climb up to seventh in the Premier League, three points clear of 10th-placed Newcastle.

How Man Utd avenged Magpies defeat

"One of the good things about the team this year is we have reacted after bad results," said Solskjaer on Christmas Eve, and Scott McTominay's yellow card for a foul on Sean Longstaff just 24 seconds into this contest set the tone for a clinical response to the 2-0 defeat at Vicarage Road.

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That said, Newcastle arrived at Old Trafford full of confidence following their 1-0 home win over Crystal Palace and were looking to complete the league double over Manchester United for the first time since the 1930/31 season. And, after absorbing a period of early pressure which saw a Rashford free-kick whistle a yard wide of the post, it was Steve Bruce's side who struck first.

Moments after Dwight Gayle blazed over after being put clean through on goal by Joelinton, the hosts had not heeded their warning. Matty Longstaff continued his run into the box after finding Joelinton to take the return pass, evade Luke Shaw and reverse his shot low beyond David de Gea.

But the visitors, who last won at Old Trafford in December 2013, could not hold on to their lead for longer than seven minutes. Shaw made progress down the left and, after finding the returning Andreas Pereira inside, the ball was set up perfectly for Martial to fire low and beat Martin Dubravka at his near post.

The Frenchman's goal proved the springboard for Manchester United's record-stretching 21st Premier League win on Boxing Day as Greenwood duly completed the turnaround 12 minutes later, thanks to the first critical defensive mix-up from their opponents.

Fabian Schar was under little pressure when he received the ball from Dubravka, but a sloppy pass across field was easily gathered by Greenwood, and the teenager unleashed an unerring strike which flew over the Slovakian and into the net via the underside of the bar.

Not satisfied with a slender lead at the break, Solskjaer urged his players to put the game to bed ahead of a return to action at Burnley in two days' time, and, with Newcastle visibly on the retreat, they extended their lead on the stroke of half-time.

There was a brief inquest led by captain Federico Fernandez after Matty Longstaff went to ground holding his face following a collision with McTominay, but referee Kevin Friend allowed play to continue as Aaron Wan-Bissaka's deep cross was headed home by Rashford for his 11th league goal of the season.

The second period was a bit of a non-event, in truth, marked by Paul Pogba's introduction, but it was Martial who put the seal on an impressive individual performance, intercepting a slack back pass from Matty Longstaff to run through and confidently lift his shot over Dubravka for his second.

Martial came within inches of claiming the match ball when his low shot from distance on the hour-mark crashed against the foot of the post, but the result was already beyond doubt.

The only sour note for the hosts was the sight of McTominay leaving the ground on crutches and looking unlikely to be fit for the rest of the Christmas programme as Bruce's wait for a first win at Old Trafford as a manager extended to 11 games.

What the managers said...

Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said: "McTominay has done his ligament in the knee, probably. I don't know how bad it is. The boy has got the biggest heart of the lot. We'll find out tomorrow how it is.

"Mason (Greeenwood) is a great striker of the ball. You know he is going to hit the target more times than not. The way he strikes it is nice to see and he is so unfazed by whatever happens.

"The three of them are a handful when we can get the space we did today. These boys will never give up, this club knows that towards the end we can nick a point or even three from losing positions."

Newcastle boss Steve Bruce said: "When you come here the one thing you can't do is gift Manchester United. I know it's Christmas, but we gave away more goals in half an hour than we have in three months.

"I don't think United can believe it. It's a harsh lesson for us that you cannot make the mistakes we have just made. We stuck at it, but it was a tough afternoon for us."

Man of the match: Anthony Martial

Solskjaer said the return of Pogba was Manchester United's only positive following their 2-0 defeat at Vicarage Road, and while Greenwood's latest show of his abundance of talent undoubtedly ranks high among the many plus points from this game, Martial was only denied a hat-trick by the width of the woodwork.

Beating goalkeepers at their near post has become something of a trademark, and Newcastle will be glad to see the back of him. The Frenchman has scored in each of his three Premier League appearances against Newcastle at Old Trafford (four goals in total).

Martial scored his first double in a home league game for United on his 62nd appearance at Old Trafford - so the hope is he can replicate this on a far more regular basis.

Man United find their groove

Analysis from Sky Sports' Peter Smith...

Matty Longstaff struck the winner for Newcastle over Manchester United in October - a real low in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side's erratic start to the season. At one stage on Boxing Day, it looked as though the 19-year-old was going to deal the Manchester United boss another major hit with just his second goal as a pro.

But - with some help from Longstaff's team-mates - Manchester United found a foothold and then hammered home their advantage quickly, with a swagger that made you wonder whether these really were the same players who crumpled to the embarrassing defeat at Watford four days ago.

Newcastle 'keeper Martin Dubravka should have done better with Anthony Martial's powerful equaliser but he could do nothing about Mason Greenwood's crashing drive, which picked up a feint deflection on the way through but still underlined the 18-year-old as a rising star.

Marcus Rashford then took his season's goal tally to a career-best 11 league goals with an uncharacteristic towering header before Martial profited from Sean Longstaff's woeful back pass to finish clinically barely five minutes after half-time.

Manchester United enjoyed over 76 per cent possession in the second period, turning the game into a procession and never gave Newcastle a sniff of getting back into the match. It was commanding, confident stuff, with standout highlights for United's exciting young attackers.

Coupled with Chelsea's defeat at home to Southampton, the win means Manchester United are now just four points off the Champions League places, with Burnley up next. Inconsistency has dogged Solskjaer's side this season - but he'll hope to see more of the same on Saturday to surge into the second half of the season.

Opta stats

• Newcastle United have lost more Premier League Boxing Day games than any other side (14).
• Manchester United attacker Mason Greenwood has netted eight goals in all competitions this season - the only teenager with more in Europe's big five leagues is Jadon Sancho (12).
• Newcastle's Matthew Longstaff is the third player to score both of his first two Premier League goals in two separate appearances against Manchester United, after Fredrik Ljungberg in 1999 and Leighton Baines in 2006.

What's next?

Manchester United travel to face Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday; kick-off at 7.45pm. Newcastle host Everton on the same day (3pm).

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