Newcastle United v Manchester United: Premier League – live!

It’s all square at the break. Luke Shaw deflected an EMil Krafth cross into his own net to give Newcastle the lead after two minutes, but it’s been one-way traffic in the other direction ever since. Bruno Fernandes had a goal chalked off for offside shortly before Harry Maguire equalised for United with an excellent near post header from a corner. The scores may be level, but Manchester United are in the box-seat at St James’ Park.

45+1 min: We’ve had two goals, one of them a freak and a third disallowed, but otherwise this match has been extremely low on entertainment. I suspect any Sky Sports customers who have paid £14.95 on top of their usual monthly subscription to watch this will be feeling fairly short-changed as we approach half-time.

45 min: The camera cuts to Joelinton, who I’d genuinely forgotten was on the field. The ball comes his way and he puts it out for a throw-in with a poor first touch in a tight area.

43 min: Darlow gets down to save a venomous low drive from Marcus Rashford. He can only parry the ball back into play, but it’s hacked clear by one of his defenders before Rashford or anyone else in a Manchester United shirt can get to it.

38 min: Dan James is booked for a fairly wild challenge on Alain Saint-Maximin. Moments previously at a corner, Isaac Hayden was forced to hack a Marcus Rashford shot through a thicket of bodies off the line. Rashford injured his foot on the follow-through, smashing his instep into somebody’s outstretched studs and needs treatment before he can continue.

36 min: Aaron Wan-Bissaka threatens to curl one in at the far post with what looked suspiciously like a cross from the right. Whether he meant it or not, Karl Darlow is forced into a decent save to keep the ball out.

34 min: Jonjo Shelvey blocks a Bruno Fernades shot after good work down the right flank from Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who’d picked out the Portuguese on the edge of the Newcastle penalty area.

31 min: De Gea is ok to carry on for now, although he’s clearly hurt his shoulder.

29 min: Scott McTominay concedes a free-kick just inside the Newcastle half for a tug on Saint-Maximin’s shirt. Jamal Lewis floats the ball into the United penalty area and Newcastle go close to re-taking the lead when Saint-Maximin forces a smart save out of David De Gea with a shot from distance. The goalkeeper clatters his right shoulder off the post in making it and needs medical assistance.

27 min: Allan Saint-Maximin gives the ball away in midfield, allowing Manchester United to build another attack, which comes to nothing when Bruno Fernandes and Juan Mata get their wires crossed.

24 min: That was an excellent header from Maguire, who arrived late after giving Jamal Lascelles the slip. His downward header was powerful and left Darlow with little or no chance of keeping it out.

It’s all square. Harry Maguire puts his recent travails behind him, scoring with a near post header from the edge of the six yard box at a Manchester United corner.

22 min: Bruno Fernandes rifled the ball into the top corner after playing a delightful one-two with Juan Mata, but his effort has been correctly ruled out for a Mata offside in the build-up.

VAR intervenes. WHat looked an excellent goal is ruled out by the curtain-twitchers in Stockley Park, who spotted an offside.

Ha! Call me Nostradamus because there it is. Bruno Fernandes levels the scores.

18 min: Yet to have a shot on goal, let alone on target, Newcastle lead by the only goal of the game so far. Manchester United are dominating proceedings and creating chances. You suspect there’s an equaliser in the pipe.

16 min: Rashford cuts inside from the left, gets the ball on his right foot and shoots low, hard and narrowly wide of the upright. He had options open to his right but had every right to have a pop himself.

13 min: Marcus Rashford shoots high over the bar from the edge of the Newcastle penalty area, the ball taking a deflection on the way. Nothing comes from the ensuing corner.

11 min: “If anything, Clive … they’ve scored too early.” Having gone one up in the second minute, Newcastle seem content to sit back, soak up the pressure, try to preserve their lead and hopefully catch United on the break again. That’s probably what they’d have done anyway, but at least now they have a lead to preserve.

9 min: Manchester United get forward, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Fred linking up well. The full-back squares the ball low and hard from the right, trying to pick out Marcus Rashford. Newcastle clear.

7 min: Dan James Runs from the inside-left to a central area on the edge of the Newcastle penalty area. Caught in two minds but with few options to choose from, he ends up sending a weak shot dribbling towards Karl Darlow.

6 min: Manchester United win a corner, but nothing comes of it. It’s worth pointing out that there was little or nothing Luke Shaw could do about that own goal. He was attempting to block a cross as Newcastle galloped up the field on a counter-attack, the ball hit his leg and the rest, as they say, is history.

4 min: Well, what a start! Jonjo Shelvey went rampaging on a cross-field gallop, playing the ball wide to Emil Krafth. He attempted to cross the ball, which ricocheted off Luke Shaw’s outstretched leg and looped into the Manchester United goal.

Newcastle lead inside two minutes. It’s a wicked deflection off Luke Shaw that leaves David De Gea completely helpless.

1 min: Play begins, with Bruno Fernandes getting the ball rolling for Manchester United, who for the purposes of an easy life for your minute-by-minute reporter will be henceforth referred to as ‘United’. Newcastle United, shall be addressed as Newcastle. Aggrieved Geordies are welcome to to address any complaints to the Guardian Readers’ Editor.

Not long now: The teams are out and line up in a responsible, socially distanced fashion as they wait for referee Craig Pawson and his team of match officials. Come on, Craig! Times a wasting.

An email: “Awful team selection tonight,” writes Neil Carter. “I’m struggling to comprehend what is going on inside Ole’s head with this. Henderson deserves a start, would not have started Maguire, Shaw, James and only one of Fred or McTominay is needed. Where is Greenwood? Donny, poor Donny, will someone please for the love of God think of Donny? What does he have to do to get a start? Poch will be sitting at home drinking a nice hot Bovril rubbing his hands.”

An interesting view from a Manchester United fan. To be clear, I have no idea where Greenwood is and I suspect Poch is more of a maté man.

Premier League: Manchester City have beaten Arsenal at the Etihad, where Raheem Sterling scored the only goal of the game to takes all three points for his side. It was a tight affair but Arsenal still haven’t beaten any of their fellow Big Six sides away from home since 2015.

Those teams: Steve Bruce makes just one change to the team that saw off Burnley in style, bringing in Jamaal Lascelles for Fabian Schar.

Ole Gunnar Solskjær, by contrast, makes four changes from the team that got its collective backside handed to it by Tottenham. Victor Lindelof replaces Eric Bailly in the heart of Manchester United’s defence, while Scott Mac Tominay, Juan Mata, Fred and Dan James also come into the side.

Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic are dropped to the bench, while there’s no place for Mason Greenwood in the match-day squad. Donny Van de Beek’s wait for a first Premier League start continues. Harry Maguire starts, despite talk of a knock he picked up while on England duty against Denmark.

Newcastle United: Darlow, Krafth, Fernandez, Lascelles, Lewis, Hayden, Shelvey, Hendrick, Saint-Maximin, Joelinton, Wilson

Subs: Gillespie, Schar, Manquillo, Murphy, Almiron, Fraser, Carroll

Manchester United: De Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw, Fred, McTominay, Mata, Fernandes, James, Rashford.

Subs: Henderson, Bailly, Telles, Matic, Pogba, Van de Beek, Ighalo

While Dwight Gayle, Sean Longstaff and Martin Dubravka are all sidelined with injury, Steve Bruce has a plethora of returnees from the treatment room to choose from in Ciaran Clark, Paul Dummett, Jamal Lascelles and Matty Longstaff. Despite doubts surrounding their participation after picking up knocks on international duty, Miguel Almiron and Jamal Lewis could also play a part in tonight’s game. The in-form Allan Saint Maximin will take to the field tonight with the ink barely dry on the new six-year contract he signed with Newcastle earlier this week.

Following his dismissal against Denmark while on England duty, Harry Maguire is a doubt having suffered some unspecified knock which may have accounted for his slow walk back to the dressing-room on 31 minutes. He has, however, been included in tonight’s squad.

Still in quarantine following his arrival during the transfer window, Edinson Cavani is unavailable, while his fellow new signing Alex Telles is in the travelling party despite speculation he might be rested following his midweek long haul flight back from South America, where he was on international duty for Brazil.

Anthony Martial will sit this one out on the Naughty Step as he serves the first game of his three-match ban in the wake of his sending-off against Tottenham Hotspur.

Sky Sports subscribers may have to shell out £14.95 on top of their regular monthly dues to watch this game, but Guardian readers can read all about Manchester United’s trip to Newcastle here. The pressure is mounting on Ole Gunnar Solskjær following a fairly dismal start to the Premier League season.

An opening day defeat against Crystal Palace was followed by a somewhat fortuitous win against Brighton, before the Norwegian was forced to look on in horror as he side was thrashed 6-1 by Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford just before the international break.

Newcastle fans remain unconvinced by Steve Bruce despite a decent start to the season, but even the most curmudgeonly would be forced to concede his team’s performance in emphatic victory against Burnley was impressive. Wouldn’t they? Kick-off is at 8pm, but stay tuned in the meantime for build-up.