Newcastle vs Manchester United LIVE: Premier League result, final score and reaction tonight

This is the first time Newcastle have spent Christmas Day in the relegation zone. They have won just one of their seven games under head coach Eddie Howe, losing the last three in a row.

Newcastle have conceded 79 league goals in 2021 - the joint most of any Premier League team in a calendar year, along with Ipswich Town in 1994.

The last top-flight team to concede more over the course of a year was West Bromwich Albion, who let in 87 goals in 1985.

David De Gea spoke about the change in Manchester United’s training sessions following the appointment of interim boss Ralf Rangnick. He says United have been training with pace and energy since being hit with rising Covid cases and he wants the team to show that same intensity on the pitch. De Gea said:

Newcastle United finish a run of difficult fixtures when they host Manchester United in the Premier League tonight. The Tyneside club are about to enter a crucial phase of the season.

The next five weeks offer a series of winnable matches for Eddie Howe’s team and the transfer window opens in five days.

It is hard to see a side that has conceded 11 goals in the past three matches against top-half clubs getting anything against United tonight. These are strange times, though.

Ralf Rangnick’s team has not played for 16 days. The German is still getting to grips with life at Old Trafford. Still, Rangnick has plenty of talent available to him and clear ideas about how he wants United to play.

Eddie Howe makes six changes to the Newcastle team that lost 4-0 to Manchester City in their last outing. Jamaal Lascelles in joined in defence by Javier Manquillo, Emil Krafth and Fabian Schar. Jacob Murphy, Matt Ritchie and Ciaran Clark drop out of the starting XI.

Allan Saint-Maximin returns taking the place of Miguel Almiron and in midfield, Jonjo Shelvey and Sean Longstaff start with Isaac Hayden suspended and Joe Willock absent from the matchday squad.

Just two changes for Ralf Rangnick’s Manchester United. Raphael Varane comes in to partner Harry Maguire at centre-back and Mason Greenwood replaces Jadon Sancho.

Newcastle XI: Dubravka, Schar, Lascelles, Krafth, Manquillo, Shelvey, Fraser, S. Longstaff, Joelinton, Wilson, Saint-Maximin

Man Utd XI: De Gea, Dalot, Varane, Maguire, Telles, Fred, McTominay, Fernandes, Rashford, Greenwood, Ronaldo

This is the 150th top-flight meeting between the two teams. Manchester United are seeking to match their club record of five successive league wins against Newcastle.

The Magpies have won just three of the last 17 Premier League encounters, all by a 1-0 scoreline. They have lost 10 Premier League games against Manchester United after scoring the opening goal, equalling the competition record against a single opponent.

Anthony Martial has told Manchester United he wants to leave.

The France forward has become a fringe figure at Old Trafford, making just two Premier League starts this season and only four in all competitions.

“We spoke at length on Wednesday,” said interim United manager Ralf Rangnick, revealing the 26-year-old’s desire to quit Old Trafford.

Newcastle have suffered three bruising results since their 1-0 victory over Burnley at the start of December. The have lost 4-0, 3-1, 4-0 to Leicester, Liverpool and Manchester City respectively in that time. That win over the Clarets is Newcastle only victory of the season so far and Eddie Howe will be desperately hoping for a turnaround in form. If the Magpies defeat Manchester United tonight they will leapfrog Burnley and move level on points with Watford (17th).

Man Utd meanwhile are unbeaten in four Premier League games and have seemingly stopped their poor run of form that led to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s sacking. Still, they haven’t featured in the league for 16 days but could finish the day as high as fifth if they pick up all three points tonight. Last time out Cristiano Ronaldo netted a 75th minute penalty as the Red Devils saw off Norwich 1-0 away from home.

Newcastle will be without the services of Jamal Lewis this evening after he suffered a hamstring injury during last week’s defeat to Liverpool.

The full-back is likely to miss the rest of Newcastle’s fixtures in 2021, but manager Eddie Howe is optimistic that the defender may be fit to return as early as January. Howe said:

Manchester United had two Premier League games - against Brighton and Brentford - postponed due to a steep rise in coronavirus cases amongst the squad and staff. It got so bad that the Carrington training ground was closed for four days and players had to train in their own gardens to keep up with manager Ralf Rangnick’s proposed fitness regime.

United last played on the 11th of December and the manager says that the club are almost back to full strength. He said:

“Apart from Paul Pogba we had all the players available at training which is a massive improvement within one week to have 17 players more available.

“Everyone has looked in good shape and good health and if everything stays like it is right now and we don’t get any further cases, and I’m optimistic and positive about that, then it will be difficult for me to decide not only on the starting XI, but on the eight [outfield] players sitting on the bench.

“For me it didn’t come as such a big, big surprise, of course I would have wished that it wouldn’t have happened, but I think for everybody it’s about making the best out of it and making sure we are being protected in the future and we don’t have any further cases in the next six months.

“I know that there is no guarantee for that, but we can still make sure we do everything we possibly can within our club that it doesn’t happen again.”