Man City Stars Squander Golden Opportunities in Crushing Newcastle Defeat

Manchester City suffered a 2–1 defeat against Newcastle United as they returned to Premier League competition.

The Citizens were inefficient on an occasion where they had the opportunity to position themselves as genuine contenders to Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table. Controlling the ball led to 17 attempts, although only four found the target. Phil Foden and Erling Haaland particularly failed to convert their opportunities.

City and Newcastle squandered a total of nine clear-cut opportunities, but the home side capitalized in the latter period. Harvey Barnes made the decisive impact with two goals, displaying greater attacking intent. This victory represented Eddie Howe's maiden triumph over Pep Guardiola in 19 encounters.

Guardiola mentioned that "the actual campaign begins" in November. However, they've faltered early and might trail by nine points following the north London clash.

Man City Player Ratings vs. Newcastle (4-1-4-1)

*Ratings Provided by FotMob*

GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma—6.7: Performed excellently in the opening period, but found it difficult to prevent Newcastle's goals in the second half. The sole City player cautioned following an incident with referee Samuel Barrott.

RB: Matheus Nunes—7.0: The Portuguese defender could have performed better during Newcastle's first goal and appeared uncertain when advancing.

CB: Rúben Dias—8.0: Brought City level in the match, though it proved insufficient ultimately. Like his teammates, he had difficulty clearing the danger for Newcastle's second strike.

CB: Joško Gvardiol—6.4: The Croatian defender succeeded in only three of seven challenges while competing against Nick Woltemade throughout the match.

LB: Nico O'Reilly—6.7: His expensive mistake resulted in the opening goal, yet posed a danger when advancing into Newcastle's territory.

DM: Nico González—7.1: A subdued display following his Liverpool showing. Completed more passes than any other participant.

RM: Rayan Cherki—7.0: Generated three opportunities and recorded an attempt on goal while frequently combining with City's attacking players.

CM: Bernardo Silva—7.0: City's skipper showed creativity and energy in attack. Had difficulties dealing with Newcastle's physical approach occasionally.

CM: Phil Foden—6.0: A frustrating performance in front of goal was epitomized by Foden's significant miss in the opening half.

LM: Jérémy Doku—7.7: Dynamic during the initial 45 minutes, creating the highest number of chances (4) before his substitution. Final delivery was somewhat lacking, though the Belgian continued from where he finished after defeating Liverpool.

ST: Erling Haaland—6.7: His quest for his 100th league goal remains ongoing. Mostly ineffective during the second period.

Subs not used: James Trafford (GK), Nathan Aké, Rayan Aït-Nouri, John Stones, Abdukodir Khusanov

Newcastle United (4-3-3)

Starting XI: Nick Pope; Tino Livramento, Malick Thiaw, Fabian Schär, Lewis Hall; Bruno Guimarães, Sandro Tonali, Joelinton; Jacob Murphy, Nick Woltemade, Harvey Barnes

Subs used: Sven Botman, Joe Willock, Anthony Elanga

Man City Player of the Match: Rúben Dias

Player of the Match: Harvey Barnes (Newcastle United)

Newcastle 2–1 Man City—How It Developed at St. James' Park

Harvey Barnes remembered to put his shooting boots on at half-time. pic.twitter.com/wyav5Z5taq

All attention focused on Haaland at kickoff. The Norwegian striker was one goal away from becoming the quickest player to achieve 100 Premier League goals. He almost capitalized on a chaotic opening, but couldn't overcome an advancing Pope beyond the Newcastle box.

Cherki was active early, combining with Doku, Silva and Foden in the final third. Newcastle's skilled midfield frequently found themselves pursuing possession as Man City moved the ball through their lines effortlessly. After the Magpies found their rhythm, most attacks developed down the left flank via Barnes and Hall.

Woltemade posed a threat to the Man City goal with a powerful header, though Donnarumma managed to thwart the German striker.

The forward had another opportunity after Barnes set him up, but the Italian goalkeeper anticipated his second effort completely.

The crucial moment arrived after 30 minutes when a dangerous delivery found Barnes with plenty of space. The former Leicester City winger should have converted as he hung his head in disappointment.

Pope made a fine save to deny Haaland moments later as the match balanced on a razor's edge. The interval arrived without a decisive moment.

Barnes. Haaland. Foden.

A first half of missed chances. pic.twitter.com/MFlKnGeULk

Barnes earned a corner within 20 seconds of the second half restart. Tonali's curling delivery required only a touch, but the score remained level. Haaland attempted to challenge Thiaw at the opposite end, but lost possession, ending the danger. Tension mounted as both sides wasted partial opportunities.

Subsequently, the encounter intensified.

St. James' Park exploded in the 64th minute when Barnes compensated for his earlier error with a precisely placed strike for the breakthrough. Guimarães, pressured by Nunes, managed to locate Barnes who allowed the ball to roll before beating the Man City defense. Donnarumma was powerless given the accuracy.

The Citizens replied immediately. Confusion in the penalty area five minutes later allowed Dias to net an equalizer. Newcastle failed to clear their lines as the defender unleashed a shot that deflected off Schär and beyond Pope.

Just as the match returned to parity, Barnes struck again following a sequence of bold play from several players. VAR examined the goal extensively before confirmation rekindled the home crowd's enthusiasm. An animated Pep Guardiola expressed disbelief at the events as he implemented multiple substitutions.

Despite eight additional minutes, the Citizens couldn't find a breakthrough. Overwhelming possession led to clearance upon clearance. The final whistle sounded as a chance to pressure Arsenal at the summit was wasted.

Newcastle vs. Man City Half-Time Stats

Newcastle vs. Man City Full Time Statistics