The Black Keys knock Michael Jackson off top of Billboard 200 with first number one album

The band's latest album sold 164,000 copies in its first week of release

The Black Keys have achieved their first number one album in the US (Getty Images)

Michael Jackson’s new album Xscape has proved no match for The Black Keys, who have topped the US Billboard 200 for the first time.

The blues rock duo’s True Blue sold 164,000 copies to beat the late King of Pop’s Xscape by just 7,000. Both albums have surpassed sales expectations.

Jackson’s posthumous achievement is his tenth top ten album to date after he first reached number five with Ben in 1972.

Each of his full-length studio albums from 1982’s Thriller to 2001’s Invincible hit the top spot, including Bad and Dangerous.

The “Billie Jean” singer’s last release, Michael in 2010, reached number three in the US.

The Black Keys are not fans of their closest competitor’s latest effort, however, with drummer Carney describing Xscape as “bulls**t”.

The album's lead single “Love Never Felt So Good” sees Justin Timberlake’s vocals mixed with Jackson’s, which has already had over 12 million views on YouTube.

Both Jackson and The Black Keys failed to rival Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories, which shifted 339,000 sales in its opening week last year.