Manly have condemned Newcastle to their fourth-consecutive NRL loss, holding on to win 26-18 despite prop Addin Fonua-Blake being sin-binned late in the match for flooring Mitchell Pearce.
The Sea Eagles had appeared in control of Saturday evening's match when they led 26-12 with 13 minutes to play, before Mitchell Barnett ran onto a Danny Levi pass to score.
Fonua-Blake was sin-binned from the ensuing kickoff, collecting a falling Pearce in the head while chasing a ball that hung high in the air.
Pearce failed his HIA and didn't return, prompting Fonua-Blake to be sent on his way by referee Peter Gough.
However, the Sea Eagles held on resolutely, as the Knights failed to crack the 12-man defensive line.
It followed a similar incident earlier in the match, when Curtis Sironen was put on report for a high shot on Kalyn Ponga.
Sironen was allowed to stay on the field after Ponga initially continued playing, before later going off for a head check.
Second-rower Aidan Guerra also suffered a suspected broken ankle late in the match, adding to a horror night for a Newcastle team who had been expected to challenge for the NRL's top four.
After beating Cronulla in the opening round, the Knights have lost to Penrith, Canberra, St George Illawarra and the Sea Eagles.
They were particularly slow out of the blocks on Saturday, as Manly raced to an 18-0 lead before Ponga kicked them into gear with a short grubber for Edrick Lee, who powered himself over the line just before halftime.
Ponga at least looked dangerous at the back, breaking the line three times in one of the few positives for Newcastle.
Manly have won three games straight, entrenching themselves well within the top eight.
Fonua-Blake was their best before the late sin-binning, providing plenty of early muscle alongside Martin Taupau and scoring a crucial second-half try as he ran through a gaping hole in the Knights' line.
Apisai Koroisau was also better out of dummy-half, breaking through in the lead-up to one try, while Kane Elgey set up one four-pointer with a lofted ball to Jorge Taufua and Jake Trbojevic kicked short for Joel Thompson for another.
Daly Cherry-Evans was also strong as he celebrated his 200th NRL game, running 143 metres, kicking a 40-20 and busting through three tackles.
Australian Associated Press
