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Newcastle United v Manchester City: Premier League – live


Key events

31 min: Almiron bursts into the City box from the right and looks for Isak at the near post. He’d have been better looping for Gordon a bit further on. Dias clear. That’s better from Newcastle, and it gets the crowd making noises other than frustrated groans.

29 min: Newcastle are rocking. First up, Foden sends a shot wide right from 12 yards. Then Silva meets a cutback by Alvarez on the left, hitting a first-time rising screamer towards the top right. Dubravka tips onto the bar and away. Finally Gvardiol chances his arm from the edge of the box. Wide! High! City are hammering at the door in search of a short-order second.

28 min: Trippier gives the referee the what-for. He’s convinced there should have been a foul awarded to Newcastle 54 seconds before the goal. Dias certainly stuck his arm across Gordon and helped him out of play with a strong shoulder, but the Newcastle striker was definitely looking to draw the foul. There will be debate.

GOAL! Newcastle United 0-1 Manchester City (Silva 26)

Newcastle are narked, but City play on. And how they punish the hosts. Doku, on the left, sprays a pass to Walker on the right. Walker crosses low. Silva, on the right-hand edge of the six-yard box, flicks the ball with the back of his heel across Dubravka and into the bottom left. That. Is. Exquisite.

Bernardo Silva scores with flick off the inside of his boot
With a flick of Bernardo Silva’s boot, City are ahead! Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images

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25 min: Gordon decides to take on Dias in a footrace along the left touchline. Dias comes across him and shepherds Gordon out of play. Newcastle want a free kick at the very least; the referee doesn’t see anything wrong with the challenge and awards City a throw. Eddie Howe is not happy. Neither are the fans.

23 min: City are utterly dominant now. They’re not in the mood to give the ball back. Newcastle are chasing shadows, which may explain the aforementioned burst of frustration from Guimaraes.

21 min: Guimaraes comes sliding in recklessly on Kovacic. Late enough to warrant a booking. He’ll need to curb his natural aggressive instincts now.

19 min: Foden sashays across the face of the Newcastle box, right to left, and feeds Doku, whose shot towards the bottom left is deflected out for another corner. The set piece is played back to Walker, who drags a dismal effort wide left. City look dangerous every time they go forward, like that’s some sort of breaking news.

18 min: This game is open to a silly degree, and a lot of fun as a result. Foden rolls a pass down the right for Alvarez, who hammers a shot goalwards. Blocked. Cleared.

17 min: Newcastle having nearly scored up one end, City go close up the other. Doku scampers into the box from the left. His low cross is miscontroled by Kovacic, the ball breaking to Silva, who uncharacteristically blazes wildly over from 12 yards.

16 min: Newcastle are enjoying themselves down this right flank, though. Trippier again finds Almiron, who is free and onside this time. Almiron crosses low for Isak, who flips wide left under pressure from Dias.

15 min: Trippier shovels a pass down the right to release Almiron into acres. This time the flag goes up on a hair trigger.

14 min: Alvarez’s corner isn’t up to much, and Newcastle clear their lines, Guimaraes purchasing a cheap free kick from Gvardiol. Pressure released.

13 min: Rodri moves through the gears and attempts to dribble his way into the Newcastle box down the inside-right channel. Schar comes across to clear. But Isak can’t hold the ball up and City are soon coming back at the hosts. Gvardiol slips Foden into space down the left; he earns the first corner of the night.

12 min: … so having said that, City immediately enjoy their first period of sustained possession in the Newcastle half. Pass and probe, it’s what they do.

11 min: City look a little unsure in the wake of Ederson’s unscheduled early departure, understandably so. Newcastle are enjoying the lion’s share of possession during these early exchanges.

9 min: That was a very surreal start to the game. A goal correctly disallowed for offside. An accidental injury to City’s keeper. A mistake, and a gilt-edged to score spurned. All of the stoppages took up five minutes, so expect a big chunk of time added to the end of the half.

7 min: Ederson clearly isn’t OK, and that mistake was the cue to go back down. The knee’s giving him proper gyp. He walks off, which is good to see, but goes straight down the tunnel. Ortega comes on in his place.

Goalkeeper Ederson of Manchester City is treated by a physio
Bad news for City’s number one gloveman. Photograph: Adam Vaughan/EPA

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5 min: … but get back up he does. And immediately whiffs a clearance, straight to Almiron! Newcastle should take advantage, but Almiron, Guimaraes and Gordon conspire to over-think things, take fresh-air swipes at the ball, and mess it up! This is a fiasco.

4 min: There’s been a VAR check for the offside, and the decision was correct. But late, and the fact play continued needlessly means Ederson has taken a whack for no reason. He’s taking some time to get back up.

3 min: Ederson took a clatter there, and he stays down. Longstaff caught him on the follow-through while smashing that low cross home. The covering Walker may have made contact too. On comes the physio.

2 min: Newcastle have the ball in the net. Trippier launches long down the inside-right channel. Isak squares for Longstaff, who forces the ball past Ederson and into the net. But the flag immediately goes up for offside.

Ederson fails to save Longstaff’s shot
Drama! Longstaff’s goal is chalked off, and Ederson hurts hid knee! Photograph: Lee Smith/Action Images/Reuters

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1 min: Ederson passes out from the back with absurd levels of confidence. Did he just nutmeg Isak? Dear me!

Manchester City get the ball rolling. They’re kicking towards the Gallowgate in this first half.

There’s still time for some pre-match nerves, though. “I have a feeling it might be more peak Rafa Benitez Cynical Containment than the usual Eddie Howe Pressing Bonanza tonight,” worries Chris Paraskevas. “Surely we’re not in a headspace or physical place to go toe-to-toe with Pep And Co. for 90 minutes +10-15 minutes injury time? I know we’re a different beast at home but it’s not as though we magically have returned to our best after the derby win.”

The teams are out! Newcastle United in their storied black and white stripes, Manchester City in their famous sky blue. Everyone looking real fine. It’s cold, but at least there’s no rain. We’ll be off after a quick chorus of Blaydon Races and a heartwarming blast of Local Hero.

Chelsea’s early 1-0 win over Fulham means Newcastle have slipped to tenth place in the Premier League. They can clamber up to seventh with all three points this evening. Victory for Manchester City will take them into second spot and within striking distance of the leaders Liverpool, as they look to land an unprecedented fourth English title in a row.

Eddie Howe’s turn for a chat with TNT. “It will be a very difficult one against City … it’s difficult to know how they will play, always guessing to a degree … we just need to get our part right and deliver a really high-level game … [Joelinton’s absence means] we lose a bit of physicality, drive and steel in midfield … he chips in with vital goals so will be a miss for us … we’ve enjoyed the week … there’s been a good vibe around the city … we’re happy with our preparation … out of possession we have to be very good … there can’t be big spaces because they’ll kill you … our attacking players have to function … [the win at Sunderland] was much more like ourselves … hopefully that’s given us a real lift … if we find our best form we will pick up enough points to have a good season … we have to be progressive and attack the match.”

Pep Guardiola talks to TNT Sports. “It was an option [to start with Kevin De Bruyne] … I thought about it … he was five months injured, basically … it’s a lot of time and this is a tough place to come … I prefer not to play 90 minutes with Kevin … Newcastle’s transition is so fast … maybe we will struggle because they are really, really good … of course we miss Erling [Haaland] … Julian [Alvarez] is really good … the scouting department did a really good job to bring him here … [City’s league position] could be better, it could be worse … you are in the position you deserve to be … one step at a time.”

He’s also asked if City have any big plans for this transfer window. “I don’t think so.”

Both teams make two changes to their previous Premier League starting XIs. After the 4-2 defeat at Liverpool, Newcastle replace the stricken Joelinton and Tino Livramento with Miguel Almiron and Kieran Trippier. Manchester City follow their 2-0 win over Sheffield United by calling up Ruben Dias and Jeremy Doku for the injured Manuel Akanji and ill Jack Grealish.

The teams

Newcastle United: Dubravka, Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn, Longstaff, Bruno Guimaraes, Miley, Almiron, Isak, Gordon.
Subs: Dummett, Lascelles, Ritchie, Krafth, Karius, Hall, Gillespie, Alex Murphy, Parkinson.

Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Dias, Ake, Gvardiol, Kovacic, Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Foden, Doku, Alvarez.
Subs: Phillips, Grealish, De Bruyne, Ortega, Gomez, Matheus Luiz, Bobb, Susoho, Lewis.

Referee: Chris Kavanagh (Lancashire).

Your City squad today! 🩵

XI | Ederson, Walker (C), Dias, Ake, Gvardiol, Rodrigo, Kovacic, Bernardo, Foden, Doku, Alvarez

SUBS | Ortega Moreno, Phillips, Grealish, De Bruyne, Gomez, Nunes, Bobb, Susoho, Lewis#ManCity | @etihad pic.twitter.com/0ctFF70uc9

— Manchester City (@ManCity) January 13, 2024

Preamble

Manchester City’s title push starts here, then …

… and where better to start it than St James’ Park? They’ve only lost one of their last 32 Premier League matches against Newcastle United, you see, a 2-1 reverse in 2019 the only blemish on a record that stretches back to 2005. They’ve scored in 30 consecutive Premier League games against the Toon, a sequence they fancy lengthening tonight, given they’d have won their last eight games straight had Phil Foden not hung out a tired leg during the closing stages of a 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace just before Christmas. It’s already beginning to look ominous for Liverpool, Aston Villa, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur. The new world champions are on one.

Newcastle by contrast are very much off it. Their last nine games have been little short of disastrous. Six defeats in all competitions. Cashiered ineptly from both Champions League and League Cup. Comprehensive losses to Everton, Spurs, Nottingham Forest and Liverpool. Thank goodness for Sunderland, eh, who provided some much-needed succour in the FA Cup last weekend. Newcastle will also draw inspiration from their deserved victory over City in the League Cup back in September; another result like that would extricate them from the sticky patch that’s seem them tumble down the table to tenth. So while City go into this game as strong favourites, the Toon aren’t completely without hope. Kick off is at 5.30pm. It’s on!





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