NEWCASTLE: Flags are flying high at Newcastle United, but there is no sign of the white kind just yet.
There is a strange air of defiance on Tyneside, and it is one that makes little sense given recent Newcastle United results.
United suffered a third defeat on the bounce at St. James’ Park as Newcastle’s backline crumbled for the third time in little over a week.
Ruben Dias, Joao Cancelo, Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling scored for the visitors to make it 11 goals conceded in eight days against Leicester City, Liverpool and City.
However, despite the challenging on-field offerings, United’s fans, players and head coach are in unison, all pulling in the right direction. It is easy to forget it has been a long time since that has been the case.
Nothing typifies that change in mood more than the end-of-game flag display, sparked by fan group Wor Flags. Black and white waves washed over the famous Gallowgate End in resistance to each City goal, chance and attack. It was a scene more akin with a side in front than one closing up a four-goal loss, their 10th of an awfully challenging campaign to date.
Eddie Howe hinted at it last week and again he decided to shuffle his United pack against last season’s Premier League champions.
A Newcastle United fan waves a flag after the match during the team's match against Manchester City on Sunday. (Reuters)
Five changes were made from the side that lost stoically at Liverpool in midweek, with Callum Wilson, Matt Ritchie, Miguel Almiron, Joe Willock and Ciaran Clark coming into the team to replace injured Jamal Lewis, Allan Saint-Maximin, Fabian Schar, Jonjo Shelvey and Javier Manquillo.
This may be the season of goodwill, but Manchester City do not need any goals gift-wrapped for them. Their opener was the full works — bows, glitter, the lot.
A hopeful ball out to the United left saw Cancelo loop one back across goal, and with danger easily preventable Clark and Martin Dubravka, in his shakiest performance since returning to the side, contrived to create chaos where there was none.
Irishman Clark ducked his head to leave the ball and Dubravka remained rooted to his line. Dias made no mistake, though, and swept in to nod home from close range. Not the start a clearly frustrated Howe wanted.
Mountains to climb with a ball barely kicked.
To their credit, Newcastle kept City at arm’s length for large periods of the opening 45 — but their defensive fragility was all too obvious.
And they were again made to pay for some amateurish defending on 27 when provider for the first turned goalscorer.
Cancelo easily side-stepped Joe Willock on the halfway line and strode unchallenged toward the edge of the area. An untimely Isaac Hayden slip then left the path to goal a little clearer as Jamaal Lascelles and Clark parted ways to give the Portuguese an angle, and he delivered with aplomb, smashing in from 25 yards. As poor as it was defensively, it was sublime stuff from arguably one of the form defenders on the planet right now.
There was some resistance, and yet more VAR controversy in store. It would not be a Newcastle United game without it this season.
Ryan Fraser, in one of his brightest shows since arriving at the club, was scythed down in the area by Ederson, but Martin Atkinson was not interested, nor were the VAR officials. The crowd were incensed and the sense of injustice rumbles on.
Into the second-half, City looked to up the ante, given they had largely been in first gear in the opening 45 minutes, it was not going to take much.
And while United looked capable of weathering the storm, the dam opened up again around the hour mark.
Jesus’ point-blank range header was brilliantly tipped over by Dubravka, but he could do nothing about the third goal, converted at the back post by Mahrez, with a little help from VAR. The goal, not given in real time, was rightly called as a City third when looked at by the camera watchers back at Stockley Park.
Again, an undercurrent of resistance remained.
Refusing to go down, despite the bruising City blows, Wilson went close to reducing the arrears, drawing Ederson into action while substitute Allan Saint-Maximin fizzed one over as time ticked toward the close.
With United tiring and pushing on for a goal of their own, the obvious gaps at the other end opened up and forward Sterling added a fourth late on as Jacob Murphy was bamboozled by Jesus down the right.
Another four goals, another defeat on home soil and another game ticked off with nothing to show for it. This one was very much expected, mind.
While uncertainty remains around the immediate future of football in England due to the exponential rise of omicron variant cases, little is also assured in United’s campaign, even though it feels like it should be.
Just one win in 18 games should really see them cut adrift, yet they are not. And with January around the corner there is hope.
That hope was expressed no bounds on the terraces, with the closing stanza of this encounter drowned out with chants of “Eddie Howe’s black and white army,” and Wor Flags calling supporters to arms to show their love for the players and head coach.
All is not yet lost on Tyneside. Safety remains within United’s reach, just three points away. People say it is the hope that kills you, United’s supporters are taking strength from it. Now it is time for the players to deliver.
