At the final whistle Pep Guardiola and Eddie Howe almost fell into each other’s arms in an unusually protracted and warm embrace.
After the Manchester City manager’s talk of “now we war” with Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta and his Newcastle counterpart’s own only recently ended cold war with the club’s sporting director, Paul Mitchell, it was almost reassuring to see the pair exchanging broad smiles as they whispered in each other’s ears.
For once it was probably fairly easy to agree that a draw was just about the right result – even if it required a tremendous late save from Nick Pope to divert a goalbound volley from Bernardo Silva.
It is natural to wonder what might have been for City had they not been coming to terms with life without Rodri after their key midfielder’s season-ending anterior cruciate ligament injury. But it seems far too simplistic to suggest that Guardiola’s post-Rodri world will see City forfeit the sort of points tally the Premier League’s prosecution lawyers can probably only dream of. In reality, Mateo Kovacic and Rico Lewis did reasonably well in a congested midfield, particularly during those moments when Manuel Akanji frequently stepped out of defence to create little passing triangles with the former.
Indeed City’s travails were less about midfield shortcomings than Newcastle’s best performance of a season that until Saturday had not properly got going. Here, though, Howe’s side remembered that intensity is supposed to be their identity and reprised the high, hard press that has brought them past success.
During those periods when it proved impossible to sustain they defended superbly, thwarting numerous City manoeuvres at source with the recalled Kieran Trippier among those impressing.
A change of footwear early in the first half had left Trippier playing with his left foot illuminated by a neon-peach coloured boot and the right encased in a vibrant purple design. In the 35th minute, though, Newcastle’s right-back suddenly looked as if he had developed two left feet as Jack Grealish finally succeeded in dodging his former England teammate and, in delivering a smart early pass, conjured an opening for the excellent Josko Gvardiol.
After cutting in on his left foot, City’s left-back removed the otherwise solid Dan Burn from the defensive equation by switching the ball to his right foot. With Burn having seemingly expected a first-time strike, all that remained was for Gvardiol to direct a perfectly calibrated angled shot into the bottom corner.
Erling Haaland probably regarded Burn’s role in that goal as divine retribution after contemplating the hole in his sock torn when the home centre-half’s studs earlier grazed his achilles during a tangle between the pair that almost certainly reduced the Norwegian’s impact.
If Haaland was more peripheral than he would have wanted, Ederson proved the centre of unwanted second-half attention after being beaten from the penalty spot by the outstanding Anthony Gordon.
It all began with the England winger meeting Bruno Guimarães’s fine ball and, with Akanji wrongfooted, accelerating into the area and almost inviting contact with the goalkeeper as he ran towards his outstretched arm. Ederson was subsequently booked for the denial of an obvious goalscoring opportunity but remained on the pitch due to what was deemed a clear attempt to play the ball.
Within a nanosecond of that contact Gordon, played onside by Kyle Walker, had been felled and a penalty awarded. Normally Alexander Isak would have taken that kick but the Sweden striker was absent with a broken toe, leaving Gordon not merely understudying at centre-forward but trying his luck from 12 yards. Happily for a player close to signing a lucrative contract extension after an unsettled summer, the penalty was not merely immaculately executed but sent Ederson – who had earlier saved brilliantly from Joelinton – the wrong way.
The tension was rising, something emphasised as Grealish and Sandro Tonali collected bookings after an off-the-ball altercation. It was Tonali’s first Newcastle start since his return from a 10-month suspension for breaches of betting regulations and the Italy international initially looked Howe’s most composed midfielder before ultimately fading.
Tonali’s replacement, Sean Longstaff, might have won it but instead swept an inviting first-time shot wide as an initially slow burn game turned thoroughly compelling.
If Guardiola’s introduction of Phil Foden and Savinho from the bench raised the visiting tone, Newcastle were clearly heeding Howe’s pre-match instruction to step up and justify their places. As Pope showed off superior reflexes to repel that stupendous Silva volley it felt that justice had been done.
