EDDIE Howe may well have insisted revenge wasn’t on his mind but there’s no doubt the pain of February’s Wembley defeat will have made this Old Trafford success all the more enjoyable for Newcastle and their army of 7,000 fans.

“2-0 in your cup final”, taunted the Manchester United supporters early on. Come half-time – when Newcastle were leading by that scoreline and coasting – the Geordies in the away end were giving a string of passes the ‘ole’ treatment and telling Erik Ten Hag he’d be out of a job on Thursday.

After Joe Willock scored Newcastle’s third on the hour mark, the away fans chanted about going back to Wembley and the home fans headed for home.

There was little doubt from late in the first half, when Lewis Hall scored Newcastle’s second after Miguel Almiron’s opener, that Manchester United’s cup defence was coming to an end. Newcastle are still dreaming of going one better than last season.

And why wouldn’t they believe that’s possible? They’ve knocked out both Manchester clubs while resting a string of big hitters in the process. Howe made eight changes here. Those coming in took their chance.

No team in the Premier League has a better pair of second choice full-backs than Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall. Both were immense. Livramento made the first before Hall scored the second. Making just his second start for the club he’s supported since he was a boy, this was a night Hall will never forget. It will live long in the memory for the Newcastle fans who packed out the away end over two tiers as well and witnessed a first win at Old Trafford since 2013 for the Magpies.

And yet it started in concerning fashion. As if Howe doesn’t already have enough injuries to deal with, there was a further blow after just three minutes when Matt Targett was forced off with a hamstring problem. Almiron was introduced. The winger was probably expecting most of the night off. The home side will have wished that was the case.

Newcastle’s injury issues and team selection was surely in the thoughts of bookmakers, who had Manchester United as odds-on favourites at kick-off. Such a price can’t have been influenced by recent form. The home side came into this on the back of that dispiriting derby defeat to Manchester City and have failed to beat any side currently in the top nine of the Premier League so far this season. They never looked like winning this.

The opening stages were cagey. The home side had more of the ball but rarely looked like doing anything with it. Their only effort on goal in the opening quarter was a strike from Casemiro – the game’s outstanding player in February’s final – that was easily saved by Dubravka.

Casemiro was booked just before the 20-minute mark, by which stage his teammate Hannibal was fortunate to still be on the pitch. The 20-year-old got an early yellow card for a shockingly mistimed barge on Longstaff and just three minutes later was late again in a tackle on Krafth but let off when a second caution could have brought no complaints.

To rub salt into Newcastle wounds, it was Hannibal who finally got his timing right when he made a brilliant tackle in his own box to deny Willock after the midfielder was played in by Hall down the left.

The home side had more possession early on but come half-time Newcastle were in complete control. It was substitute Almiron who scored but the opening goal just before the half hour mark was all about Livramento.

The right-back dispossessed Alejandro Garnacho midway inside his own half before setting off on a blistering charge up the pitch and then had the composure to pick out Almiron, who slotted into the far corner.

It was Hall’s turn eight minutes later. Almiron played in Willock, who managed to dig out a cross that was only cleared as far as Hall to volley through a crowd into the far corner.

That speculative early effort from Casemiro was Manchester United’s only shot on target before Mason Mount stung the palms of Dubravka in first half stoppage time.

After the problems Hall and Almiron caused Manchester United down the left in the first half, right-back Diogo Dalot may well have been relieved to have been replaced at half-time. Aaron Wan-Bissaka was introduced and looked to make an immediate impact, crossing for Martial, who tried to prod home at the front post but was denied by a lunging Krafth. Making his first appearance in 14 months, the centre-half was superb throughout.

There was a reaction from the home side immediately after the restart. There had to be. There was more energy and intensity. Amrabat, also introduced at half-time, curled over from the edge of the box before Antony was wasteful and blazed high from distance. Rashford, Fernandes and Hojlund were sent to warm-up. But by the time they were introduced, Newcastle had their third.

Joelinton made an excellent tackle on midway and Willock did the rest, driving towards the home goal before finding the bottom corner.

In his programme notes, Ten Hag told of how pleased he was with Manchester United’s game-management in last season’s final. Eight months on, Newcastle managed this game and win superbly.