Following a chaotic 90 minutes in which they twice lost the lead in slipshod fashion, Newcastle held out to claim all three points at the City Ground on Saturday night.

Unbeaten on the banks of the Trent in five previous Premier League visits, United looked set to extend that sequence when Bruno Guimaraes volleyed past SJP old boy Matz Sels after 10 minutes, meeting Kieran Trippier's cross that followed Miggy Almiron's short corner from the right.

Winless in eight league and cup games in 2024 - although progressing on penalties in two FA Cup replays - Forest were without Chris Wood due to injury and looked unconvincing in attack. 

However they levelled when Anthony Elanga latched on to a simple through pass down the middle from Morgan Gibbs-White, outpacing the United defence and poking the ball beyond Martin Dubravka as he raced off his line and ended up hopelessly stranded outside his own box.

The visitors remained sloppy in possession but looked dangerous whenever Fabian Schar's diagonal pass found Anthony Gordon on the left; the number 10 a surprise participant after Eddie Howe revealed on Friday morning he hadn't trained since twisting his ankle. He trained later that day...

Schar then restored United's advantage when firing home his 13th Premier League goal for the club following another Trippier set piece that Sven Botman headed into his path; moving ahead of Steven Taylor to take the crown of our most prolific defender in that competition.

However, the Swiss international sustained a foot injury during another forward foray and played on despite visibly hobbling - only to be brainlessly saddled with possession deep in his own half, Forest gaining the ball and Hudson-Odoi's speculative shot bouncing off Lewis Miley to beat Dubravka.

2-2 at the break for the second Saturday running, half time brought no change of personnel before an offside flag and VAR vindication denied Taiwo Awoniyi after he thought his 50th minute shot had put the home side ahead for the first time in the game.

The same player was then denied a penalty after a route one attack from Forest, meeting a gigantic hoof from Sels and going down in the vicinity of Dubravka - the referee's failure to point to the spot correctly backed up by his remote colleague after a short interval.

Harvey Barnes replaced the anonymous Miggy Almiron (restored to the right) on the hour, Gordon switching wings from the left and Newcastle instantly looking more a threat.

The change paid dividends when a loose ball from Elanga was seized upon by Bruno, who picked his spot to double his haul in a game when he noticeably played further upfield in a revised formation that saw Miley lie deeper and Trippier move infield on occasion to back him up.  

The Brazilian was rightly and widely praised after the game but delighted and frustrated in equal measure; often in the same passage of play. The two game suspension that will kick in at some point promises to be a test of the manager's credentials in trying to create chances from open play. 

With Tino Livramento on to bolster the defence (but Burn retained and having an improved second half), the Magpies survived a few scares and Callum Wilson was frustrated on a couple of occasions as he tried to spearhead counter-attacks.

What became an additional seven minutes passed by without further goal incident however; meaning that United had won back to back PL away fixtures for the first time this season and claimed a quartet of consecutive away successes in all competitions.
 
Our 2024 stats; won four, lost two, drawn one. Goals for 19, goals against 14. Error-strewn but hugely enjoyable. Despite the frustrations of this season, we sit just five points adrift of what at times was an improbable sequence of results last time round.

The lower number of draws this season (three rather than 11) is one obvious factor, but sides with similar aspirations to us are taking points off each other and struggling for form. Financial pressures have altered the January transfer window markedly this time round - and not just for ourselves.

Back our own shortcomings and it's easy to point fingers at a defence that is so porous, but for all of our attacking endeavour in the middle of the field, an inability to tackle meaningfully affords any Tom, Dick or Anthony a free run at our back line.  

There's no evidence to believe that a clean sheet is within our grasp at present - certainly until Nick Pope returns - but this 2024 incarnation of the entertainers makes for compulsive viewing, if doing nothing for the health of their supporters.... 

Biffa