So ... United performed a miracle and Mourinho lives to fight another day.

That is all from me, but mainly from Rob. Until we meet again.

Mourinho has been giving the media his favourite death stare.

Mourinho disagreed with the speculation that said he was struggling to motivate his players.

He said: “It is ridiculous talk. The players don’t play for the manager.

“If the players play for their manager they’re not good professionals. Because one day they like the manager and they play for them, the next day comes a manager they don’t like and they don’t play for him.

“What I asked the players was to give absolutely everything. We had some tactical touches. We risked a lot. In the end we won a match that I think we deserved to win.”

On his own future, Mourinho said: “As a friend of mine was saying to me this morning, if tomorrow rains in London it’s my fault. If there is some difficulty to have the agreement of Brexit, it’s my fault. And I have to be ready for all of this.

“I think a lot of wickedness and a clear man-hunting that I think in football is too much. It’s my life, it’s a life I love, it’s a life I worked since I was a kid. I will love it until my last day. It’s one more experience in my life.”

United’s fans remained firmly behind Mourinho, chanting his name for much of the game, and he said in his post-match press conference: “I’m amazed by that.

“I don’t want that, if I could turn and (say), ‘please don’t do it’, I would say that. It’s not about me, it’s about the football club they love.

“But I’m amazed by that, at half-time we were losing 2-0 and the fans were magnificent to the team - I must be clear, to the team. That’s fantastic, I’m really grateful for that.”

Pogba was moved to centre-back today, which is novel. I can’t see him staying there in the future but he got on with the job that was asked of him for a period of time, which was good to see as he looks to kick-on from an underwhelming start to the campaign.

Please say this is so ...

I wasn’t expecting this stat:

Has today’s result just delayed the inevitable? They could have been four goals down by the break, which would have ended it all.

Can United build on this going into a tough run of fixtures? Juventus, Chelsea and Manchester City will fancy their chances against this pitiful United defence.

Mata and Fellaini were the players put up for interview.

Mata: “We scored three, we created chances to score more. We are exhausted now but we got a very important win.

“In football, results fix almost everything.”

Mata says the team did it for the fans, too, which is nice.

Fellaini: “Everyone was frustrated in the dressing room. We played more aggressive and direct in the second-half.

“The manager asked us to be men and not be afraid, to go and play and that’s what we did.”

Jose is not having fun in the press conference ...

Jenas sounds pretty upset that his former club, Newcastle, were unable to hold on for, at least, a point. On the upside, they really showed what they can do when they attack which is something they will certainly need to build on after the international break.

This was Mourinho a few minutes ago ...

A little bit of Benitez: “I think that it was a great game, we did really well first half, even second half. We had chances to score the third goal. It’s a pity to concede the way we did so close to the end.

“I told the players they did a great job.”

He talked a decent game but he looked pretty dejected when talking to Des Kelly.

Mourinho says McTominay was scared on the pitch, which is a bit of a worry. He seems to have been an unfortunate pawn in the manager’s nonsensical mind games but today the Scottish midfielder really did not look capable at this level.

Will Mourinho need to leave him out for a few weeks now?

A good day for a few United players who have a poor season at Old Trafford. Juan Mata came off the bench to curl in a wonderful free-kick, Anthony Martial has struggled to get a run in the team but showed what he could do in a brief exchange Paul Pogba before smashing in the equaliser and then Alexis Sanchez, who has struggled to even get on the bench, headed home a dramatic winner and celebrated like a man who had a lot of frustration inside.

I’m going to hand over to Will Unwin for some more reaction. Thanks for your company and emails - goodnight!

Rob has done a valiant job, showing far greater stamina than the Newcastle midfield with his typing.

I’ll be here as we all try to catch out breath.

Spare a thought for Paul Wilson, who had to file his match report before the game had even finished.

This is some post-match interview from Jose Mourinho

Where do you start with this?

“It wasn’t the substitutions that won the game – it was the desire, mentality and commitment. This is not about me, this is not about the players, this is about the club, and in the second half the players gave absolutely everytthing. Nothing more to give.

“I am 55 years old, I am mature, I can cope with it and live with being hunted. I think some of the boys are not coping well with it. The way they started the game was panicking (sic). I thought at some moments we could score in our own goal. It’s not easy for them.

“For me it’s not easy too but I think life is made of experiences and some are new and some are déjà vu. This is new but I think it makes me a better manager and a better person because I understand things in human nature… the industry I work in is different, a lot of wickedness, too much wickedness in something that should be beautiful.

“I cope with it, with some sadness, but I’m a big boy. Clearly some of the boys... Marcus Rashford was sad on the pitch, Scott McTominay was scared on the pitch. All the players committed mistakes that were not normal. I think at half-time we had a good conversation.

“We didn’t promise to each other that we were going to win the match, but we promised we were going to give absolutely anything – without any fear, without any pressure. Just give everything, and they did. I don’t want to say we were lucky because we fought so much for that. Even if we don’t score the last goal, the feeling would be positive. Nobody can promise to win matches but a professional should promise to give everything.

“It’s ridiculous talk [that the players aren’t playing for him] – they don’t play for the manager, they play for the club. It’s not about that. What I asked the players is to give absolutely everything. We had little tactical touches of course, we risked a lot - we were trying to find the best way to play.

“In the end we won the match and I think we deserved to win. I think the fans deserved to win. At 2-0 at half-time, with all the dynamic of the man-hunting, I think they behaved amazingly well for the team. This is what a football club is.

“As a friend of mine was saying to me this morning, If it rains in London tomorrow, it’s my fault. Brexit, it’s my fault. I have to be ready for this. There is a lot of wickedness and a clear manhunt. It’s my life, it’s the life I love, it’s the life I’ve worked for since I was a kid, and I will love it until my last day.”

I have no idea what formation United were playing in the second half. There were times when Pogba looked like he was playing sweeper, at other times it seemed like a back four with Matic and Smalling.

“If the players hate Mourinho,” says Abhu, “they must be the daftest 11 men on the planet to have played like that in the second half. GGMU, we’re winning the Treble now.”

You have to feel for Newcastle, who contributed so much to an absurdly open game. They had some great chances when 2-0 up, and were also denied a clear penalty. So were Manchester United just after, mind you.

If Jose Mourinho does survive, and he surely will after that comeback, this is his team’s last chance to draw a line in the sand and leave the past behind. I doubt it will change much in the next month or two - they have some grim fixtures coming up - but it least gives them the opportunity to identify that second half as a Mark Robins moment. The passion from the team and Mourinho in the second half were the opposite of everything we’ve seen in the past few weeks. It was great fun.

90+3 min There will be five minutes of added time.

90+2 min Whatever happens from here, this has been the most exhilarating comeback from Manchester United. It was born of the deepest desperation, sure, but they have played with pride, purpose and most of all speed.

What a crazy game. Pogba held the ball up nicely and laid it off to Young. He curled a cross to the far post, where Sanchez got inbetween defenders to plant an excellent downward header past Dubravka.

89 min Mata crosses deep towards Fellaini, and Dubravka comes out decisively to punch clear.

88 min Newcastle bring on Joselu for Ayoze Perez, who had a fine game and made the first goal.

87 min Mata, who has been quietly inspirational in this half, starts a flowing move that ends when Young’s dangerous low cross is crucially blocked on the six-yard by Yedlin. He has been immense.

85 min “Cunning of Rafa to engineer an almost win as a statement to the owners,” says Ian Copestake.

84 min Newcastle should still get a chance to win this, such is United’s tactical anarchy. Perez leads a four-v-four break and wins a corner - from which the hapless Matic mistimes a header just wide of his own goal. De Gea had it covered but, even so, Matic has had a stinker.

82 min This is great entertainment. I’ve no idea what it means in the grand scheme but it’s raucous, gloves-off football. Probably not for the tactics purist, though.

81 min “Hi Rob,” says David Hopkins. “I’d agree that getting upset about using ‘Utd’ is a bit odd - I’d suggest if ‘teams called Utd’ was a Pointless question ‘Manchester’ would be the to answer. Still my team’s been officially renamed Frank Lampard’s Derby County so things can change.”

80 min United break dangerously from a Newcastle corner, but Yedlin does very well to delay Martial long enough for other defenders to get back.

79 min In an unlikely development, Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba might just have saved Jose Mourinho’s job. I still think they’ll need a winner but nobody really knows anything.

78 min A Newcastle change: Christian Atsu replaces Muto.

78 min Diame’s header is cleared off the line by Lukaku! This is an entirely ridiculous football match. Diame should have scored with a clear header from a corner, but he mistimed it completely and it hit Fellaini before bouncing towards goal. Lukaku, who was on the near post, hooked it off the line.

This is brilliant stuff. Martial plays a one-two with Pogba, dances infield and slams a shot past Dubravka at the near post. Pogba’s return flick was beautiful and Martial’s finish emphatic.

75 min: Dubravka makes two fine saves! The first was from a stinging half-volley by Fellaini, the second when Smalling was left totally unmarked at the ensuing corner. This is desperate, exhilarating stuff now. United have no option but to attack attack attack.

72 min I doubt even a draw would save Jose Mourinho, though a win might. United (M) are attacking with renewed hope and vigour. Their moodswings in this game have made Rob Smyth, 10 pints to the wind, seem like a paragon of equilibrium by comparison.

71 min After more abysmal defending from Matic, Ritchie’s clever close-range flick is saved crucially by De Gea.

71 min “As a United fan and journalist,” says Nick Parmenter, “did you believe the Post Fergie era would be THIS difficult?”

Probably not quite this bad. But it was obvious in the last few years of Fergie that the club, never mind the team, was en route to hell in a handcart.

69 min Diame is booked for a trip on Martial just outside the area.

68 min Newcastle make their first change, with Jacob Murphy replacing the injured Kenedy.

66 min After a good start to the second half, Manchester United have lost their way again. It’s time for their final change, with Alexis Sanchez replacing Marcus Rashford.

65 min “There are two Uniteds out there, so please not assume we know which one you mean,” says Pete. “Obviously the oldest in the league is Sheffield United but even my soap box isn’t that opinionated.”

I’ve never understood why people get so cakey about this. There isn’t a Newcastle City, so it’s pretty clear who I mean. It’s also an easy mistake to absent-mindedly make amid a manic MBM. Maybe I’m missing something though, and in that case I apologise and offer my resignation.

63 min Yedlin robs Martial and goes on a brilliant surge that ends with the most cynical of trips from Pogba. He’s booked.

60 min “This isn’t the worst I’ve seen United play - I’m old enough to remember the Denis Law back-heel in ‘74 - but it is pretty poor,” says Matt Emerson. “What you need at the club is a steadying hand on the tiller, someone who’s been there and seen it all whilst the club sorts itself out behind the scenes. How about Arsene Wenger...?”

Only 16 years too late. I agree that there have been less adequate United sides. They were much worse from 1988-90, but I’m not sure the collapse of morale was as bad. Back then they were honest, hardworking and just a bit crap.

59 min Another chance for Newcastle! Kenedy turns Smalling inside out on the edge of the area before battering a rising shot over the bar.

59 min Here’s Ian Copestake. “Rather than saying ‘puta’, I think Jose may have invented a new swearword out of ‘Muto’.”

58 min Ritchie is booked, more than a little harshly, for taking a free-kick too quickly. Anthony Taylor has had a poor game.

56 min There’s a rabid hunger about United now. Pogba crosses brilliantly towards Rashford, who flicks a header wide from six yards. That was an excellent chance. I think he mistimed his jump as the ball skimmed off the top of his head.

55 min Manchester United have had 85 per cent of the possession in this half. But the scoreline still flatters them.

54 min “In the highly unlikely event that my beautiful Anfield boys win the league this season then I will schadenfreude the hell out of you,” verbs Niall Mullen. “Until that happens I’m still staring up at a too-high-to-reach perch.”

Is George Graham still up there?

53 min Pogba is actually playing really well as an attacking centre-back. His defensive skills haven’t yet been tested but he has been influential in possession. Meanwhile, Mata’s volley deflects a few yards wide of the post. Newcastle get a goalkick.

52 min Ritchie shoots straight at De Gea from 20 yards.

51 min: What a miss from Matic! Pogba’s deflected long-range shot was brilliantly saved by the unsighted Dubravka, but he could only push it out to Matic six yards from goal. He leant back and sidefooted the ball into orbit.

50 min Mata’s cross from the right finds Rashford, who dummies Diame beautifully but is then crowded out by defenders. Newcastle look like they are happy to sat on their 2-0 lead.

50 min “I’m the biggest Mourinho apologist the world has ever seen,” says Shooby Taylor, “but even I have to admit there’s something beautifully poetic (and tragic) about Jose being ousted by his old nemesis Benitez.”

49 min Manchester United’s formation is entirely without precedent. A back three of Matic, Pogba and Smalling, with Mata and Fellaini as the central midfielders.

48 min Pogba sprays a long pass that is flicked on by Lukaku towards Martial, and the last man Yedlin makes an important sliding tackle.

47 min Paul Pogba is playing centre half.

47 min Paul Pogba is playing centre half.

46 min Peep peep! Manchester United begin the second half. Marouane Fellaini has replaced Scott McTominay and now it looks like Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic are playing in a back three with Chris Smalling.

I thought De Gea was unsighted on the second goal. In fact he just tried to save with his feet and missed it. Both goals were excellently taken. Newcastle have been brilliant, Shelvey and Perez in particular.

“Wow, now this is a corker,” says Bill Hargreaves. “Set up for fireworks. Game of two ‘alves, an’ all that. Completely agree re Howe but suspect he’d be a gamble too far for the purse strings. Poch will be bought, name yer price, I’d guess. Also agree re sympathy for Mou, too. No man is an island, and all that. ‘E was ever so nice to ‘is muvva’, as they said of the old East End gangsters.”

Half-time schadenfreude

“Someone once said that Manchester United is the biggest TV show in the world,” says Niall Mullen. “If so what phase are we at now? Niles marrying Daphne? Armand Tamzarian? The Fonz on water skis?”

This is Celebrity Big Brother 4 multiplied by Love Island to the power of TOWIE, mate.

45+1 min Young’s corner is controlled beautifully by Muto - with his right bicep. That should have been a penalty as well. Instead, Muto broke and was fouled by McTominay, who was booked.

45 min Mourinho is going to get sacked so he might as well embrace the meltdown. Put Luke Shaw in goal; come out for the second half with two fags dangling rakishly from his bottom lip; just do what you need to do.

44 min Smalling gives the ball straight to Perez, who moves into the area, hits an airshot and falls over.

42 min “Evening Rob,” says Jon Collin. “Never mind Arsène Wenger, Rafa must be laughing his tezzers off – have there been any lingering close ups on his face to confirm this?”

When Rafa laughs, he does so internally.

41 min Diame marches right through the middle of the defence and stabs a shot too close to De Gea. Manchester United have totally gone. In terms of a collective collapse in morale this is as bad as I can remember at United, and I lived through 1989.

40 min What a strange incident. Shelvey’s free-kick hits the outstretched arm of Young, just inside the area, and deflects behind. It should have been a penalty to Newcastle; the referee gave a goalkick to Manchester United.

38 min Newcastle work a nice training ground free-kick, with Shelvey slipping the ball back to Ritchie near the penalty area. He is about to shoot when he slips and slices it out for a throw-in. Manchester United are fifty shades of shambles. Mourinho should just walk out of Old Trafford at half-time, coat swung over his shoulder, and pop into Wetherspoons for a bit. They must have a two-for-one on.

38 min McTominay is robbed on the edge of the area by Perez, who is then fouled by Young. Poor Ashley Young. He’s a good pro but he’s having an absolute stinker today.

36 min The unmarked Lascelles misses another Newcastle chance, heading over from 10 yards. Manchester United’s defending has been abysmal.

34 min: De Gea makes a great save! The chance came from more dodgy defending after a long free-kick was driven into the United box. Smalling’s header away was poor and went straight to Lascelles, who nodded it back towards the six-yard area. Muto was unmarked and headed to the left of De Gea, who showed his supernatural reactions to fly to his left and block it.

33 min Pogba gets away without a yellow card after kicking the ball away.

31 min Mata wins a corner down the left for United. It’s tossd in towards Smalling, whose looping header is claimed one-handed, Pat Jennings-style, by Dubravka.

27 min “Until United sort out the backroom side of things they will need to carry on hiring galactico managers with experience of managing £100m+ players,” says Leo Carroll. “Someone like Eddie Howe (or even Poch) would get eaten alive Moyes-style right now. City identified Pep years ago and spent the three years before he came buying players for him. Until United have that in place they are stuck being a Jonathan Woodgate/Michael Owen era Real Madrid.”

I don’t agree that Howe or Pochettino would be eaten alive but I do agree the club needs an urgent change of identity. They’re not a team so much as a collection of marketable commodities.

24 min Manchester United have improved since the substitution, with Rashford now playing just behind Lukaku. Pogba beats two players and hits a shot that deflects behind for a corner.

23 min Here’s Charles Antaki. “As Oscar Wilde so nearly said, ‘One must have a heart of stone to read the demise of Jose Mourinho without laughing.’”

I wonder what Arsene Wenger makes of it, whether he’s laughing his head off or whether he feels for him.

22 min Rashford misses a great chance, heading Lukaku’s brilliant cross this far wide of the far post. He was stretching but even so, he should have scored.

21 min “All the way over in NZ and I swore I wouldn’t put myself through another game,” says Maxwell Lowe. “I love my club and get up to watch anyway. This is what I get. It’s embarrassing. Who knows what’s going on at the moment but if something doesn’t change this will only get worse. Mourinho will go before any player but the players should be ashamed of themselves for giving up so easily. Where’s the passion? It really is sad and yet I still watch.”

That’s half the problem. Yes, Maxwell, you are the real villain of this story.

20 min Perez’s low shot is comfortably saved by De Gea.

20 min Mata is going to replace Eric Bailly, in fact, so Scott McTominay will move into defence.

18 min Shelvey’s wobbling long-range shot is slapped unconvincingly round the post by De Gea, who looks a bag of nerves at the moment.

17 min Juan Mata is getting ready to come on. I don’t think anyone is injured. This might be Jose Mourinho offering a stiff V sign to Paul Pogba on his way out the door. Or he might have gone full wibble and be about to take off David de Gea.

15 min Muto breaks into space down the left, only to be dubiously penalised for a foul on Bailly. That might have been 3-0.

14 min Newcastle have been brilliant. They sensed the mood - although, to be fair, they’d have to be pretty thick not to sense the mood - and acted accordingly. They have been full of menace on the counter-attack.

12 min “Please tell me your referring to Mourinho as ‘poor bloke’ was sarcastic,” There are a lot of people in the world deserving of sympathy but I would put him near the very bottom of that list.”

Not at all. I have a lot of sympathy for him, even though he’s done some daft things at times.

Manchester United have collapsed. A long cross was dumped into the area towards Muto, who was given far too much time to control the ball, wriggle away from Ashley Young and drill a low left-footed shot that went straight through the unsighted De Gea.

It was far too easy for Kenedy, though he took it excellently. Matic’s negligence allowed a throw-in to run through to Ayoze Perez, who slid a pass down the inside-right channel to put Kenedy one v one with Ashley Young. He came back infield, onto his left foot, and placed an emphatic curling shot into the far corner.

6 min “Say what you like about the rights and wrongs of the situation (and there’s plenty of wrong on all sides),” begins Nick Smith, “but Mourinho set the tone by not moving to Manchester.”

5 min Lukaku is lucky not to be booked for a foul on the breaking Ayoze Perez.

4 min Nothing much to report so far. Newcastle look like they have come to play, which isn’t always the case with Rafa Benitez’s teams.

2 min “I agree with that shortlist, but I think the best option is Simeone,” says Matt Dony. “For that reason, I sincerely hope they don’t get him! Howe would potentially be an excellent appointment, but would likely need the most time to bed in; the other two are more used to ‘big’ clubs and dealing with ridiculous egos. Poch would strengthen United, but his loss would weaken Spurs, so it averages out in the league. Simeone is amazing, with the strength to play his own game no matter what, and would probably put the fear of god into Pogba (and everyone else. He’s a terrifying presence). He creates a rock-solid defensive base, like Jose of old, but has the knack of also integrating some actual, yknow, attacking intent.”

Simeone would be hilarious. Imagine his provocative touchline stylings, and the sanctimonious reaction thereto.

1 min Peep peep! Newcastle, in their blue third kit, get things under way. Manchester are in red.

There’s a decent reception for Jose Mourinho, who tries to look impassive as he walks down the touchline chewing some gum. Poor bloke. His head must be in bits right now.

Newcastle’s record at Old Trafford is abysmal, though they did win here in the David Moyes Year. That’s their only victory on this ground since 1972.

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere’s Rafa

“We have to be solid, try to stay in the game and try to get something. If we do the same thing we did last year, we’ll have some chances. It’s a long season so we have to carry on. Last year we were in the bottom five in January and we finished tenth.”

“Hi Rob,” says David Wall. “Completely agree about Eddie Howe, but just as important is that the club properly support him. And by that I don’t mean chucking money around but rather just allowing him time and accepting that might involve a few seasons without great success while he builds a structure that will last, like he’s done at Bournemouth. He’s young enough to become a generational manager for United and though that isn’t the way things are done now, surely if any club can put a stake in the ground and say that that is the way they are going to do things znd to hell with what is done elsewhere. And they’re rubbish at appointing big name managers anyway, without the experience of someone like Chelsea or Real Madrid who can do it successfully.”

Yep, I agree. I would have a shortlist of three: Howe, Pochettino and Simeone. All have built teams with a distinct identity and overachieved massively. You’ll never get a generational manager but any of those could feasibly stay for a decade.

Jose Mourinho’s pre-match interview

“[Is this a must-win game?] Every game is a must-win game. That’s how I feel and that’s how I like my players to feel. It’s about the team, it’s not about [individual selections]. We didn’t have a phenomenal performance against Valencia but it was positive and to make lots of changes would not be the right thing. In this moment Ashley Young can give us a bit more speed and energy on the right side.”

When Mourinho goes, Eddie Howe should be on the shortlist to replace him.