The only moment Manchester United supporters celebrated all evening was the substitution of a beleaguered misfit.

They vented at Andre Onana for dawdling on the ball but outright turned on Joshua Zirkzee. First, for constantly being on his heels rather than his toes. Then when his number was up.

Zirkzee's removal in the 33rd minute was raucously cheered. Ruben Amorim offered a pat of consolation, Zirkzee fetched a jacket from the dugout and jogged down the touchline towards the tunnel.

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Some United supporters applauded him but they soon turned to boos. Zirkzee was not injured and eventually resurfaced to diplomatic applause. He still got more of an earful than Marcus Rashford, publicly intent on leaving United. Rashford was subjected to his own personal humiliation when Antony was elected to come on ahead of him.

Zirkzee's race is already run at United and the reaction was the most damning a withdrawn United player has suffered. Plenty of supporters expressed disgust at the braying contingent. A high percentage may regret their conduct once the dust settles..

The Stretford End's rendition of 'Amorim's red and white army' at the half-time shrill was more becoming. There were boos but they were drowned out by the commendable support. Kobbie Mainoo's arrival for Zirkzee had elicited two good chances for Rasmus Hojlund and Casemiro in the last knockings of a first half that flattered United.

Attacking the Stretford End for the second 45, those chants were amplified. In this fixture of 14th versus fifth, the United in red lost respectably. This is how far they have fallen.

The matchgoers have accepted this short-term pain and it is brutal. The Zirkzee change upset Newcastle's rhythm and Harry Maguire nodded against the post early in the second half. Matthijs de Ligt's follow-up was blocked. The Stretford End got louder.

Maguire, De Ligt and Leny Yoro, three defenders, came the closest to scoring. United have gone three games without a goal for the first time since, well, last December.

At the club where anything that can go wrong will go wrong, more records tumbled. Three successive league defeats for the first time since December 2015, five league defeats in six for the first time since May 1989 and three successive league losses at Old Trafford since 1978-79. United are a mere seven points better off than Ipswich Town at the halfway point.

They may be teetering above the relegation zone this time next month. "Say hello to Sunderland," crowed the Magpies in the away end.

United need 18 more points to hit the magic 40 mark to ensure safety. They may struggle to secure them over the next 19 fixtures.

Some fans got up from their seats after Alexander Isak put Newcastle ahead in the fourth minute and were never seen again. They were in the minority yet these days the lads and lasses do not have smiles upon their faces as they trudge down Warwick Road.

Amorim was on his haunches after less than 40 seconds. Three minutes later, United were 1-0 down. The bullish applause Amorim offered for Amad's tackle on Isak turned to venting at Hojlund.

There was one Dan Ashworth recruit who shone at Old Trafford. Isak cost Newcastle £63million the year before United paid £64m up front for Hojlund. Only United could get the inferior Scandinavian striker and the more expensive one.

Amorim berated Hojlund after seven minutes for not pushing up high enough. If Hojlund had done a cursory amount of research, he would have known what Amorim demands from his striker. Overpriced and overpromoted, Hojlund was fortunate to start. Isak has 12 Premier League goals to Hojlund's two.

A clamour will soon grow for Amorim to look within at an alternative goalscorer unless United add one in the January market. Chido Obi-Martin, prised from Arsenal's academy in the summer, should be optimistic of a debut before the campaign's conclusion.

Amorim made his daftest decision yet by dropping Mainoo. With Casemiro, Christian Eriksen, Zirkzee, Amad and Hojlund the attacking vertebra, United were spineless. Mainoo offered a modicum of control and United had chances with him on the pitch.

Newcastle's starting side was littered with upgrades on United's options. Lewis Hall, a scorer in the League Cup and league fixtures at Old Trafford last term, added an assist back at his happy hunting ground.

It was such light work for Newcastle that Sandro Tonali nutmegged the referee. It was so easy that Isak got complacent with a frivolous dink when one-on-one with Onana. Amorim was apoplectic Isak was allowed to run onto Bruno Guimaraes' perceptive punt from his own half.

Isak's carelessness was quickly rendered moot by Joelinton's header from another cross down Noussair Mazraoui's side. Tonali later almost walked the ball into the net but smacked the post, prompting a partisan broadsheet journalist to put his hand on his head.

However abysmal United are - and this is the worst squad they have had since Denis Law condemned them to the second tier in 1974 - Old Trafford still instils bouts of dread. Newcastle were 2-0 up at the interval at United in 2018 and lost 3-2. Their only league victory at the ground since 1974 before Monday night was when David Moyes managed United. Now they have a second.

The Old Trafford compere played Daydream Believer just before kick off, inviting the United fans to start a rendition of 'Cheer up Alan Shearer' and they obliged. He will not require cheering up tonight.

Newcastle are nine places and ten points better off than United. They went through their repertoire of anti-United chants and revelled in the misfortune of former Sunderland loanee Amad, dubbed a "sad Mackem b*****d". "Sacked in the morning" was among them.

Shearer, winless at Old Trafford throughout his career, will be celebrating this one.