Eight months ago, Newcastle United were ripped apart on home soil by the Premier League champions. A whipping against Manchester City is no surprise - there was another to come in May after all - but the 4-0 defeat at St James’ Park last December laid bare all of the Magpies’ problems.
If the new regime did not know how much investment was needed in January before this fixture - they certainly knew afterwards. A four-man defence of Jacob Murphy, Jamaal Lascelles, Ciaran Clark and Matt Ritchie were given a tough afternoon by Pep Guardiola’s star-studded line-up.
Wingers converted into full-backs exposed the Toon backline - and where the priorities needed to lie in the transfer market. The defeat left Newcastle three points adrift from safety despite playing two games more than 17th-placed Watford.
