BOXING DAY

Ole’s Red Devils had one of their good days as goals for Martial, Greenwood and Rashford put dire Newcastle to the sword

MANCHESTER UNITED endorsed their Jekyll and Hyde status with this comprehensive dismantling of Newcastle.

After losing to Watford – then the Premier League’s bottom club – on Sunday, the pressure was on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side to respond and get back on track in their pursuit of a top-four place.

They duly did that with this convincing win but, in so doing, it raised the question of why they cannot produce this level of performance on a consistent basis throughout the season.

Anthony Martial scored twice, with Mason Greenwood and Marcus Rashford plundering the other goals, to send the Reds up one place to seventh, four points off fourth spot.

At the halfway stage of the campaign, they remain an enigma – a team capable of beating the likes of Manchester City and Tottenham, only to capitulate to the lesser lights of the top flight.

Here, though, was a return to winning ways, with Solskjaer’s men coming from behind, after a timid start, to blitz Toon with three goals in 19 minutes, the fourth coming just after the restart.

Matty Longstaff, who scored in Newcastle’s 1-0 win over the Reds at St James’ Park in October, repeated that feat after 17 minutes.

Fred lost possession in midfield, with Dwight Gayle finding Longstaff with a ball that pulled the hosts’ defence wide open.

With the Reds’ backline all over the place, Longstaff lobbed the ball in to Joelinton, who held it up before returning the favour.

Longstaff kept a cool head, steering a clinical finish into the far corner, giving keeper David De

Gea no chance of saving it. It was a deserved lead for Newcastle, who took full advantage of their opponents’ sloppy and sluggish