Jamie Jackson was at the Etihad tonight. Here’s his verdict. Thanks for reading this MBM.
Eddie Howe’s turn. “We were right in the game … we gave everyting … disappointing with the two goals we conceded … they were out of context with the general performance which was really strong defensively … chased the game well in the second half … always in it until the very end … credit to the players … we went deep and hard … we kept going and believing.”
Pep Guardiola speaks to TNT Sports. “Massive … Newcastle is incredible … awesome … physicality … speed … really tough but [we] were unbelievable … one step at a time … 70 percent of our players have not played in that situation [a title run-in] and I don’t play … we have to live it … we know every game until the end of the season will be like this … today we had the best crowd of the year … I am really proud to be manager … now is rest and we prepare for Leeds … since Saudi Arabia took over [Newcastle] and Eddie Howe is there, the way they play is unbelievable … that is why I’m really pleased for the way we played today.”
Marc Guehi – clearly content with life at his new club – arrives for a chat with TNT. “These games are always difficult … Newcastle are such a difficult team to play against … their intensity and endeavour … quality on the ball … a really good win today … I won’t say a statement win but it puts us in a really good position moving forward … what a top club this place is … everyone has been so welcoming … I’ve had to adapt and change my game completely … more thought process than physical … thinking a lot … when to pass the ball … committing players … so many different aspects … I am learning on the job … I’ve had a lot of help … it’s fantastic … how you see [Pep Guardiola] on the television is how he is in real life … enthusiastic, passionate, intense, a winner … he wants to win but wants to win his way … I’m glad I have the opportunity to be here!”
Game Recognising Game extra! Anthony Gordon and his England team-mate Marc Guehi deep in conversation, swapping war stories. Clear respect for each other after a highly entertaining battle. Gordon throws an arm around his pal’s shoulder and pats congratulations before disappearing down the tunnel. Another local hero warbles a celebratory song over the PA: “You could wait for a lifetime / To spend your days in the sunshine!” It’s hosing down in Manchester, of course.
Manchester City’s two-goal hero Nico O’Reilly, the player of the match, speaks to TNT. “I’m over the moon with tonight … the win was the most important thing … trying to close the gap and apply as much pressure as possible … also very happy with the two goals … it’s a dream of mine to win something like [the Premier League] … there are a lot of games to go … take each game as it comes … I’m enjoying every moment … I’ll take it all in … we always believe we can win games … we just need to keep going.”
Manchester City sparkled in attack during the first half; they required plenty of defensive grit in the second. Newcastle’s long losing run at the Etihad goes on – that’s now 17 on the bounce in this particular Premier League fixture – but they did themselves proud here tonight. They pushed Manchester City all the way. Both sets of players embrace at the end, game recognising game. This determined win will give Pep Guardiola’s side great heart as they attempt to chase down Arsenal. Over to Mikel Arteta’s side tomorrow!
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 27 | 32 | 58 |
| 2 | Man City | 27 | 31 | 56 |
| 3 | Aston Villa | 27 | 10 | 51 |
| 4 | Chelsea | 27 | 17 | 45 |
| 5 | Man Utd | 26 | 10 | 45 |
| 6 | Liverpool | 26 | 6 | 42 |
| 7 | Brentford | 27 | 3 | 40 |
| 8 | AFC Bournemouth | 27 | -2 | 38 |
| 9 | Everton | 26 | -1 | 37 |
| 10 | Newcastle | 27 | -1 | 36 |
| 11 | Sunderland | 26 | -3 | 36 |
| 12 | Brighton | 27 | 2 | 34 |
| 13 | Fulham | 26 | -5 | 34 |
| 14 | Crystal Palace | 26 | -4 | 32 |
| 15 | Leeds | 27 | -9 | 31 |
| 16 | Tottenham Hotspur | 26 | -1 | 29 |
| 17 | Nottm Forest | 26 | -13 | 27 |
| 18 | West Ham | 27 | -17 | 25 |
| 19 | Burnley | 27 | -23 | 19 |
| 20 | Wolverhampton | 27 | -32 | 10 |
Updated
FULL TIME: Manchester City 2-1 Newcastle United
Manchester City hang on for three precious points! Newcastle made them fight for them.
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90 min +5: From the corner, some bedlam in the City box! But Donnarumma does just enough to divert clear under extreme pressure. That should be that.
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90 min +4: Haaland blazes down the right wing and storms inside. He can’t get a shot away, Thiaw sticking to him like glue. Newcastle go up the other end. A long ball headed down. Barnes, on the edge of the D, sweeps towards the bottom left. Donnarumma fingertips around the post! Pope to come up for the corner!
90 min +3: On TNT Sports, the co-commentator Glenn Hoddle names Manchester City’s two-goal hero Nico O’Reilly as his player of the match.
90 min +2: Tonali goes down for a few seconds. So expect the match to click past the 90+4 mark.
90 min +1: Haaland tries to poke past Pope, but the keeper blocks. Then City come again, and Foden’s low drive is kicked away by Pope. City so close to wrapping up the win (x2)!
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90 min: Osula tries to close down Donnarumma. The keeper calmly wedges over the in-rushing striker’s head. City counter, and Cherki should free Foden into the box down the right, but miscues the pass. There will be four additional minutes, and nobody in the City of Manchester Stadium considers this over yet.
89 min: Rodri is yanked back, arm around neck, by Joelinton, who is booked. And the clock ticks on. The home fans celebrate that … well, not quite like a goal. But it’s a loud cheer nonetheless. A release of tension.
88 min: Murphy has the opportunity to release Osula down the middle … and pings the perfect defence-splitting pass. Only problem is, Osula had given up on the move and wasn’t looking! So the chance goes a-begging.
87 min: Semenyo is replaced by Foden.
86 min: Cherki threatens to make good ground down the left, but is grappled to the floor by Joelinton. There wasn’t a whole lot in that, Cherki making the most of it. But needs must during the title run-in, huh.
84 min: “Come on City!” The home fans trying to heave their heroes over the line.
82 min: A Newcastle free kick on halfway. Murphy curls it into the mixer. It’s inviting, but Burn, lunging in at the far stick, can’t connect, eight yards out. City aren’t exactly hanging on, but Newcastle are coming at them. Everyone in sky blue extremely nervous.
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80 min: Guehi, from the left-back position, rolls a pass infield for Cherki, who plays a first-time sweep towards Ait-Nouri on the left touchline. He’s free! Haaland in the middle, with only Burn in between. Burn does well to block the option for a pass, encouraging Ait-Nouri to shoot instead. Ait-Nouri loses control of the ball, which clanks off his toe and dribbles towards the bottom left. Pope claims. Had Ait-Nouri kept his head, City were wrapping up their win.
78 min: Newcastle make another double change. Elanga and Gordon are replaced by Osula and Jacob Murphy.
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77 min: Joelinton takes a short-backlift snapshot from the middle of a melee near the City D. It flies wide of the top-left corner, but not by much. Decent improvisational skills.
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75 min: Hall pulls it back for Trippier, whose poor cross is claimed by Donnarumma. Still, Newcastle are giving this a proper go, and the home fans are jittery. The home team are jittery.
74 min: Elanga’s corner fails to beat the first man. Not the smartest decision to leave him on in retrospect. But Newcastle come again, Gordon battling with Haaland, now acting as an extra defender, down the right. Another corner is won. Hall to take this one.
73 min: Elanga crosses from the right. Ait-Nouri deflects it behind for a corner. Newcastle are preparing to replace Elanga with Jacob Murphy but he’s told to stay on for the set piece.
72 min: Haaland bulldozes his way down the right and stomps infield, before unleashin a low drive that … hits the first defender.
71 min: The nerves at the Etihad are palpable. The start of the run-in! Everyone loves it!
69 min: Really scrappy. O’Reilly can’t sort his feet out to get a shot away, just inside the Newcastle box. Then the visitors counter, and Elanga has the opportunity to release Gordon down the middle, but delays the pass and a big chance is gone.
68 min: Some pinball in the City box. Donnarumma slaps the ball half-clear. Barnes swings it back in from the left. Haaland sends a clearing header miles upfield. This is getting scrappy.
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67 min: Cherki nibbles at Hall in the centre circle. Then Nunes kicks the ball away. Newcastle point this out to the referee, with some feeling, but the City man gets away with it.
65 min: Ait-Nouri barrels down the left, draws Trippier, and goes over the defender’s leg. Another booking. Silva swings the free kick in low. Haaland sweeps harmlessly wide left, and wanders off looking glum. City haven’t been the same proposition in attack since the break. Shades of Arsenal at Wolves?
63 min: Elanga turns the jets on down the right … then runs the ball out of play. City counter through Haaland and Cherki, who combine to setting up Semenyo on the penalty spot. Semenyo tries to steer a shot into the bottom left, but doesn’t catch it. Easy for Pope.
62 min: Barnes, freshly on, cynically hauls back the in-flight Nunes, deep inside his own half, and goes straight into the book. Speaking of pointless transgressions, here’s Harry Christie: “Nail well and truly hit on the head with regard to Bernardo Silva. Rarely does there seem to be a game go by where he’s not escaped a nailed on yellow for either a naughty foul or some extended discourse with the ref. It’s impressive stuff for a waifish attacking mid. Mind you, I’m an Arsenal fan currently undergoing extended deja vu for the denouement of the 2008 season, so probably not the most neutral of sources. Could whoever activated the Gallas Meltdown signal kindly extinguish it on the way out.”
60 min: Newcastle respond with a double change, replacing Woltemade and Willock with Barnes and Joelinton. Barnes the two-goal hero for Newcastle at SJP in November, of course.
58 min: Cherki comes on for the quiet Marmoush.
56 min: Burn pulls Haaland’s shirt, then shoves him off the pitch. Haaland loses a boot. Burn, on a booking, taking a big chance there. The referee isn’t minded to flash a second yellow, but he’d have been within his rights. Quite a few players acting the daftie tonight. Burn, Silva and Willock all in the book for pointless idiocy. At least Dias was done for pace before resorting to sharp practice.
54 min: Semenyo dribbles hard down the inside right, then drifts into the centre before skying a shot over the bar. Haaland, in space to his right, fumes theatrically.
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53 min: Woltemade tussles with Rodri, 30 yards out, and wins the duel. He slips wide to Hall, who overhits his cross. But this is impressive from Newcastle, who have come out for the second half in a positive frame of mind.
52 min: The resulting free kick is just to the left of the City box, 30 yards out. Hall tries to catch out Donnarumma by whipping towards the left-hand corner. Always wide. Donnarumma almost certainly had it covered anyway.
51 min: … and now Silva jumps into Burn’s chest, the pair in mid air, the City midfielder not looking at the ball at all. That could easily have been a second yellow. A masterclass in needless nonsense.
49 min: Ramsey steals the ball off a snoozing Semenyo, and advances up the left. Silva slides in and cynically catches Ramsey. He’s lucky not to go into the book … but then Silva overplays his hand, moaning about the fact it’s a foul at all. The referee brandishes yellow for his petulance.
48 min: Willock is booked for tugging Silva back by the shirt. That’s beyond daft, because Silva was running along the halfway line, going nowhere whatsoever.
46 min: Haaland bustles down the middle of the park. Newcastle are light at the back, but Haaland’s heavy touch puts the move to bed.
Updated
City get the second half underway. The hosts have made one change, replacing Dias, who was on a booking after struggling to keep up with Gordon, with the quicker Khusanov.
Has xG jumped the shark? According to everyone’s favourite dubiously-calculated-but-nevertheless-fun† goalscoring metric, the half-time numbers are 0.7 to 0.26. That seems harsh, bordering on downright miserable, given the frenetic, freewheeling fun of the first 45 minutes. Come on, xG! Read the room! Raise your game!
†: To give the folk who calculate xG fair measure, I have absolutely no idea what I am talking about.
Half-time entertainment. As things stand, Manchester City will cut Arsenal’s lead at the top of the table to two points. If they do that, tomorrow’s north London derby assumes even bigger proportions. And on that subject, here’s Jonathan Wilson …
Half-time postbag. “We’re scrapping away gallantly here but you feel City are only one or two through balls away from putting this game out of our reach, particularly with our bench looking so lightweight” – Chris Paraskevas
“‘O’Reilly, gliding down the left,’ has an echo of ‘Mo Salah, running down the wing.’ An anthem for their new star is in the making” – Ian Copestake
“It’s hard not to feel cynical about this fixture, but I’ll be damned if it isn’t a glorious spectacle. If football is going to be owned by some of the worst people on Earth, at least make it entertaining, that’s all I can reasonably ask” – Kári Tulinius
HALF TIME: Manchester City 2-1 Newcastle United
That was breathless. That was great. Both teams contributed plenty to a highly entertaining half of Premier League football. City contributed a little more of that plenty, hence the scoreline. But both teams will be delighted with the way they attacked. More please!
45 min +5: Marmoush scuttles in from the left and bashes a shot straight at Pope. Haaland, in the centre, is livid at not being teed up. But had that ended in a goal either way, it’d have probably been chalked off as Marmoush looked to have handled a bouncing ball while beating a defender midway through his dribble.
45 min +4: Tonali sprays a pass wide left for Ramsey, who is in acres and prepares to advance towards the City box. The flag pops up for offside. That flag’s on a hair-trigger. Disallowing the Burn goal was the correct decision; that one looked a lot closer, though. Perhaps the official should have allowed that move to pan out, and check later.
45 min +3: Marmoush, perhaps ill-advisedly from Newcastle’s point of view, is allowed to skate into acres of space down the inside-left channel. Upon reaching the edge of the D, he unleashes towards the top left. Wide. You expected the net to ripple there.
45 min +1: The first of five additional first-half minutes passes by. Couldn’t there be 55? This has been magnificent entertainment.
45 min: … and now Haaland strides down the left channel and whistles a low shot inches wide of the left-hand post. Not entirely sure Pope was getting to that. The keeper went down in instalments.
44 min: … and now Semenyo, in a pocket of space 40 yards out, should release Marmoush on goal down the inside-left channel, but misplaces the pass. Big chance for a third City goal.
43 min: What a ball in from Tonali, though. Newcastle are giving this a good go. This game is such fun.
42 min: Tonali curls a peach of a free kick into the mixer. Burn, six yards out, simply can’t miss. He heads home, but the flag goes up for offside. He was slyly, but ever-so cleverly, nudged into an offside position by Dias!
41 min: O’Reilly, gliding down the left, tries to return the favour to Haaland. His cross isn’t quite so accurate and Haaland can’t get a header away. Newcastle counter through Gordon down the left. Gordon’s going to win a footrace against Dias, so the defender hauls him down. Into the book he goes. Everyone lines up on the edge of the City box, waiting for Tonali’s delivery of the free kick.
39 min: This game is wide open. Elanga romps down the right and switches play to Gordon, who enters the box but can’t fashion space and time to shoot. He cuts back for Willock, who aims a curler towards the bottom right. But it’s all precision and no pace, and it’s an easy snaffle for Donnarumma.
37 min: Marmoush is released by a long pass down the right. He crosses low for O’Reilly, who slides in but slices wide left. Then the flag goes up for offside, so it wouldn’t have been his hat-trick even if he’d managed to bundle home.
36 min: Thiaw, back up on his feet, is furious about having to go off for 30 seconds. But rules are rules, says the referee. Burn isn’t happy either, and having been booked, would do well to pipe down. A second booking for dissent in 36 minutes would be quite the achievement.
34 min: Haaland catches Thiaw in the face with a stray arm. The pair were competing fairly for a high ball and that was accidental. But the Newcastle man felt that nonetheless, and goes down, requiring treatment.
33 min: Tonali goes down feeling something. He requires a spot of treatment. He’s good to continue for now, but doesn’t look 100 percent happy.
31 min: Now Rodri, looking to send Ait-Nouri scampering down the left, clanks a simple pass out of play for a throw. He’s been signally out of sorts since coming back from long-term injury. Understandably so, given how serious his injury was, but he’s a way off the Rodri of Ballon d’Or-winning fame right now.
30 min: Willock sprays a diagonal towards Murphy on the left. The cross comes in. City don’t deal with it particularly well, and Rodri slices hysterically high into the air. Donnarumma claims with confident hands. That could easily have gone farcically wrong.
29 min: Nunes spins Hall down the right and is nicked by the defender for his trouble. He was heading towards space there, so the Newcastle man is lucky to avoid a booking.
GOAL! Manchester City 2-1 Newcastle United (O'Reilly 27)
Semenyo cuts open the Newcastle defence with a cute pass down the inside-right channel. Haaland latches onto it, takes a look in the middle, and stands one up for O’Reilly, who rises six yards from goal and heads across Pope and into the right-hand side of the net! That was a simple move, but so smooth. Glorious goal.
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26 min: The stadium falls a little quiet. But not for long, because …
24 min: On the touchline, Pep Guardiola looks utterly dejected. His team were very much on the front foot. But they’ve been pegged back in short order. That wasn’t very good defending. But hats off to Newcastle, who have got their reward for coming at City after suffering that early blow.
GOAL! Manchester City 1-1 Newcastle United (Hall 22)
The corner’s sent to the near post. It’s headed out weakly by Nunes. Hall, on the edge of the D, takes aim. His drive flies through a crowded box, pings off Ait-Nouri, and dribbles into the bottom right, past the wrong-footed Donnarumma. Hall celebrates the goal, but was his initial shot off target? Hmm. It could be an own goal … but Hall gets the credit for now. Fingers crossed he’ll keep it.
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21 min: … Newcastle clear and counter, Elanga working his way down the right and earning the visitors a corner of their own. The corner’s played back down the right. Trippier curls in delightfully. Thiaw wins a header, six yards out. Donnarumma is forced to tip over the crossbar. And from the next corner, coming in from the left …
20 min: Rodri was strangely passive just before the opener. But now he takes matters into his own hands, bustling into the Newcastle box from the right and winning a corner. The set piece is worked back to Silva, who curls towards the far stick. Pope is forced to flap out for yet another corner, this time from the left. From which …
18 min: The scoring won’t have ended tonight, that looks almost nailed-on. Now Marmoush sails down the left and cuts infield before shooting hard. Pope parries. Semenyo meets the rebound, but not at a height that’s conducive to returning the ball with power. He slices harmlessly wide right.
17 min: Newcastle nearly respond immediately, Gordon racing down the inside-left channel and just about getting the better of Guehi, though the defender pushes him wider than he’d like. Gordon chops inside and aims for the bottom right, but Donnarumma blocks. The rebound evades Elanga and City clear.
15 min: Could Pope have done better there? He got a lot of hand on that shot, but only palmed it into the side netting. Having said that, O’Reilly hit that with great feeling, so the power may have simply been too much.
GOAL! Manchester City 1-0 Newcastle United (O'Reilly 14)
Another right-to-left move. Marmoush advances down the middle and slips the ball to O’Reilly on his left. O’Reilly has Haaland steaming in on the overlap, but O’Reilly takes the shot himself, fizzing a low drive into the bottom left from the edge of the box!
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12 min: Nunes, Marmoush, Haaland and O’Reilly are all involved as City stream upfield. Some easy-on-the-eye, one-touch stuff, from the right-back position to the left wing, that’s strangely stripped of momentum by Rodri, who needlessly turns tail. But no matter, because …
10 min: Haaland wrestles with Burn on the City right wing. Burn grabs a bit of shirt, then brings down his man from behind. An obvious free kick, which for some reason Burn takes extreme exception to. He tells it as he sees it, at some length, and talks his way into the book. A long evening tiptoeing along the disciplinary tightrope, against perhaps the best striker in the world, stretches out ahead.
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8 min: Willock charges after a long pass down the left. He’s nudged from behind by Nunes, and goes over, expecting a whistle that doesn’t come. It should have done. Nunes gets away with a sly one there.
6 min: A bit of turf for Gordon to run into down the right. He’s got the better of Ait-Nouri, but there’s nobody in dark blue keeping up with him in the centre, and he’s forced to turn tail. A waste of a half-chance to develop something. “Vitas Gerulaitis!” trills Justin Kavanagh. “Now there’s a name that evokes one of the greatest sporting matches of all time, that back and forth semi-final of Wimbledon 1977 against Björn Borg. It was the tennis equivalent of what happens practically every time Newcastle play Liverpool. Let’s hope for some of that drama today against City.”
4 min: … and now Silva snaps at Burn’s heels, forcing a mistake that leads to another corner. This one played short by Silva to Nunes, who returns the ball. Silva forces the ball through a half-arsed Willock challenge, and wins another corner. Nothing comes from that one, but it’s only half cleared, so Semenyo tries his luck down the right. His cutback only just evades Haaland in the middle. Newcastle already in backs-to-the-wall mode on their least-favourite patch in the land.
2 min: City are on the front foot immediately. Ait-Nouri makes good down the left and whips in a low cross towards Marmoush. Thiaw is forced to turn behind for a corner, which is headed clear by Hall. A fast start by the hosts.
Newcastle get the ball rolling! “No-one actually believes we’ll win this game, do they?” sighs Toon fan Chris Paraskevas. “I mean the last time we won at the Etihad, the goal-scorers were Moussa Sissoko (now ruining his reputation at Panathinaikos with Rafa Benitez) and Ryan Taylor.”
The teams are out. Manchester City, in sky blue, are given a guard of honour by members of their 1976 League Cup winning side. The 50th anniversary of that victory, over Newcastle, comes up next week. The Toon in third-choice blue. As for the weather, Bert Challenor, the talent scout from Comedians by Trevor Griffiths, says it best: “I’ll never understand why they don’t run boats to Manchester.” We’ll be off in a minute.
(They’re waiting on London to give the word, according to Eddie Waters.)
Pep talks to TNT. “The selection is to try to win the game … the people on the bench are for the second half … [the whole week to prepare] has been good … not just training but rest … no rest, every three days … when you can give one week, it is massively important for everyone … we can do better … we have to do better to have a chance to fight [for the title] until the end … [Newcastle] has always been a tough game … since Eddie Howe took over that position they are always getting better and better.”
Eddie Howe, whose team have won their last three away matches, speaks to TNT Sports. “We’ve played really well in the three games … played every game with a really good mindset … really good focus as well … diligent in and out of possession … showed our athleticism … we need to do all of those things tonight … we’re playing against a very good team … we need to be at our very best … we’ve tried not to dwell on [travelling to and from Azerbaijan] … it can very easily become relevant in your mind … so we’ve just focused on the good result and performance … we are trying now to back that up and be at our very best … there are no excuses from us … learning from the cup game, there was a few things we needed to do better, and we need to put them into action.”
The 5.30pm kick-off between West Ham and Bournemouth has just ended goalless. That result means Newcastle can leap into eighth place with a win tonight. A draw would move them above Everton into ninth. Their worst-case scenario doesn’t bear thinking about: a defeat by four goals or more would let Sunderland take their tenth-place spot without having to do a single thing.
Meanwhile we already knew what’s at stake for Manchester City this evening: a win and they’ll move to within two points of Arsenal at the top.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 27 | 32 | 58 |
| 2 | Man City | 26 | 30 | 53 |
| 3 | Aston Villa | 27 | 10 | 51 |
| 4 | Chelsea | 27 | 17 | 45 |
| 5 | Man Utd | 26 | 10 | 45 |
| 6 | Liverpool | 26 | 6 | 42 |
| 7 | Brentford | 27 | 3 | 40 |
| 8 | AFC Bournemouth | 27 | -2 | 38 |
| 9 | Everton | 26 | -1 | 37 |
| 10 | Newcastle | 26 | 0 | 36 |
| 11 | Sunderland | 26 | -3 | 36 |
| 12 | Brighton | 27 | 2 | 34 |
| 13 | Fulham | 26 | -5 | 34 |
| 14 | Crystal Palace | 26 | -4 | 32 |
| 15 | Leeds | 27 | -9 | 31 |
| 16 | Tottenham Hotspur | 26 | -1 | 29 |
| 17 | Nottm Forest | 26 | -13 | 27 |
| 18 | West Ham | 27 | -17 | 25 |
| 19 | Burnley | 27 | -23 | 19 |
| 20 | Wolverhampton | 27 | -32 | 10 |
… and at the very real risk of belabouring the point to the extreme annoyance of Newcastle fans … here’s a reminder of what happened when the two teams met here just 18 days ago in the second leg of the League Cup semi-finals. We’ll stop this now.
That aforementioned 16-game winning run in this particular fixture isn’t the only statistic skewing hope in Manchester City’s favour. They’re unbeaten in 21 stagings of this match, and in English top-flight history, that’s a winning home run only bettered by Everton, who had the hex over Fulham at Goodison for a 22-match sequence between 1961 and 2018. That record could be equalled tonight.
There’s also the fact that City have scored in every single one of their last 34 matches against Newcastle. That’s a run that puts them joint-third on the following all-time list.
Chelsea against Newcastle United: 37 games between 1933 and 1969
Tottenham Hotspur against Newcastle United: 35 games between 1922 and 1961
Everton against Blackburn Rovers: 34 games between 1925 and 1962
Manchester City against Newcastle United: 34 games between 2007 and 2025 (ongoing)
Newcastle have made a habit of this sort of carry-on. So there’s a lot at stake for the stats nerds this evening. Never mind City’s title hopes, Newcastle’s outside chance of finishing in the Champions League spots, etc.
Both teams are in if-it-ain’t-broke mode. Manchester City name the same starting XI from their last Premier League match, the 3-0 home win over Fulham, with one exception: Omar Marmoush comes in for Phil Foden, who drops to the bench.
Newcastle also make one change. This is from their actual last game, the 6-1 Champions League romp at Qarabag. Jacob Ramsey replaces Harvey Barnes, who is named as a sub.
The teams
Manchester City: Donnarumma, Nunes, Dias, Guéhi, Ait-Nouri, Rodri, Silva, O’Reilly, Semenyo, Marmoush, Haaland.
Subs: Trafford, Reijnders, Stones, Cherki, Gonzalez, Savinho, Khusanov, Foden, Lewis.
Newcastle United: Pope, Trippier, Thiaw, Burn, Hall, Ramsey, Willock, Tonali, Elanga, Woltemade, Gordon.
Subs: Ruddy, Ramsdale, Joelinton, Barnes, Osula, J Murphy, A Murphy, Shahar, Neave.
Referee: Thomas Bramall
VAR: James Bell
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Preamble
The conditions are perfect; the maths work out just so. If Eddie Howe wants to perform a Vitas Gerulaitis tribute act at 10pm tonight, it’s all there waiting for him. Because you’ll recall the Lithuanian Lion’s gloriously self-deprecating zinger upon snapping a 16-match losing streak against Jimmy Connors in 1980 …
And let that be a lesson to you all. No one beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 times in a row.
… and Newcastle United have lost on each of their last 16 Premier League visits to the Etihad. So yes, all of the pieces are there, waiting to fall elegantly into place. And while it’s true that history is on the side of Manchester City, and that Pep Guardiola’s team are desperate for all three points with the title race back on, Newcastle won the corresponding fixture at St James’ Park three months ago, so breaking this long miserable sequence is far from a pipe dream. Kick-off is at 8pm GMT, and if the Toon get at least a point tonight, Howe simply has to go there. He’ll never get another chance to reference one of the great sporting bons mots. It’s on!
