London: Paul Pogba marked his comeback with a goal and an assist as Manchester United fought back to beat Newcastle United 4-1 and stay on Manchester City's tail.
Sidelined since mid-September by a hamstring injury, France midfielder Pogba made a decisive return as Jose Mourinho's side restored the eight-point gap that separates them from Premier League leaders City.
Pep Guardiola's City had earlier prevailed 2-0 at Leicester City and there were also wins for champions Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal, who beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in the north London derby.
"We can only play Manchester City twice in a season," United manager Mourinho told BT Sport.
"In those games, we will try to take points. Outside of those fixtures, we are not in control."
United remain second, a point above Chelsea, who climbed above Tottenham into third place courtesy of a 4-0 success at West Bromwich Albion.
In addition to Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic received a rapturous reception from United's fans when he came on as a substitute following his recovery from a serious knee injury.
"The return of the injured players was nice, especially in Zlatan's case, after such a dramatic injury," said Mourinho. "To see him back was a great emotion."
A slip by Victor Lindelof enabled Dwight Gayle to put Newcastle ahead in the 14th minute with the first league goal United had conceded at Old Trafford since April.
Pogba's feathery cross teed up Martial to head in a 37th-minute equaliser and after Chris Smalling had headed the hosts in front, Pogba tapped in Marcus Rashford's cushioned header early in the second half.