EDDIE Howe hailed Newcastle United's "giant performances" in the win at Old Trafford and said the brilliant full-time scenes in front of the 7,000 away supporters showed how much the win at Manchester United meant to the players and the fans.

The Magpies ended a 10-year wait for a win at Old Trafford with a comprehensive 3-0 victory against struggling United, with Miguel Almiron, Lewis Hall and Joe Willock getting the goals.

The only downside on the night for Howe was an early injury to Matt Targett, but several plus points emerged on the night, including the displays of full-backs Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall, who were superb, as were central defenders Paul Dummett and Emil Krafth in what was his first appearance in 15 months.

Making his first start this season, Willock showed his importance with an all-action midfield display. His goal in the second half secured the victory.

"It was a massive performance from the players, I can't credit them enough.

"There were some great stories to come out of the game. Matt Targett is the only negative, that was a huge blow for us, but even more credit to the players for their performance after that moment. Some giant performances from the players.

"What a story for both defenders. Emil 14 months out playing in a position he hasn't played in a lot, I thought he was superb tonight, he used the ball really well, his athleticism was key. Together with Paul, I thought they defended really well against top quality players. It certainly wasn't an easy game for us.

"Joe (Willock) was outstanding. He's a goalscoring midfielder with those athletic qualities we need. You could see how many times he ran forward today, he was a real threat, he took his goal brilliantly, which was a big moment in the game. We needed that third goal."

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Howe has had a number of injury setbacks to deal with of late and made eight changes for the game but those who came into the side took their chance. Newcastle's players celebrated in front of the buoyant away end at full-time.

Howe said: "It means everything to us and hopefully it means everything to them (the supporters).

"You could see the reaction at the end, how big it was and the connection between us and the supporters. I think they knew we were in a tough moment, we were making changes to the team, we have a lot of injuries, but that can sometimes elevate your unity and if we didn't have that aspect today we would have found it very difficult.

"Players like Matt Ritchie highlight that unity and his performance today was the highest level."