Newcastle United inflicted pain on Manchester United at just the right time with the race for the top four now firmly in the hands of Eddie Howe's side. The in-form Magpies, who won twice before the international break, picked up where they left off with a rousing St James' Park showing to leapfrog Sunday's opponents into third-place.
While there was jubilation behind the scenes for Newcastle at full-time, Manchester United's poor showing prompted an angry player inquest inside the away dressing room at St James' Park, with Erik Ten Hag's flops sharing some harsh words with each other before coaching staff arrived at full-time.
“The players had a chat in the changing room after with no staff around because ultimately it’s down to us as players on the pitch," Luke Shaw told Sky Sports at full-time. “It was nowhere near good enough. We had to speak, we had to speak out in front of each other and own up to it.”
READ MORE: 'He has never let me down' - Eddie Howe heaps praise on Newcastle stars and unsung Magpies hero
Manchester United have now lost 2-0 to Newcastle, 7-0 to Liverpool and drawn 0-0 with Southampton in their three Premier League games since the Carabao Cup final and the cracks are beginning to show after a fine season up until this point.
The Old Trafford outfit are still fighting on three fronts after progressing to the semi-final of the FA Cup and the quarter-final of the Europa League. But Newcastle now have a huge advantage domestically as the battle for a place in Europe's premier competition heats up.
“The race for the top four is going to be a fight, and you can only win that when you match the desire and passion of the opponent," Ten Hag said at full-time. “Setbacks always you have to deal with, we have to leave this behind and only take the lessons from the determination, about the passion and desire.”
Sky Sports conducted a pre-match poll in which they asked supporters how likely each of the Premier League runners and riders were to qualify for the Champions League come May. Manchester United led the way with a whopping 93 per cent of those surveyed believing they would get over the line.
In comparison, only 47 per cent thought Newcastle would earn a spot at the top table. Those figures will certainly have changed since Sunday's results.
READ NEXT
Newcastle United fear potential Joe Willock injury ahead of hectic schedule
Newcastle send statement to Manchester United and Eddie Howe stands up to Erik ten Hag- 5 things
'He has never let me down' - Eddie Howe heaps praise on Newcastle stars and unsung Magpies hero
Willock gesture, McClaren steps in and Murphy mocks Man United in Newcastle win
Alexander Isak's brilliant response to Ten Hag's 'annoying' claim and what was said at half-time
