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- Newcastle’s best performance of the PIF-owned era at ecstatic St James’ Park
NEWCASTLE: Our club, our house, our city.
Newcastle United used to be a soft touch on home turf but that’s no longer the case as Manchester City has discovered.
For years the Magpies have rolled over when the Premier League “big boys” arrive on Tyneside, but Eddie Howe’s Newcastle are now made of much sterner stuff.
The banner that adorned the Newcastle United terraces pre-kickoff, crafted by atmosphere conductors-in-chief, Wor Flags, a fan-funded, fan-organized movement, acted as an incredibly accurate barometer of what was to unfold in the following 90.
While the result will no doubt prove insignificant in Man City’s quest to retain their title, this means so much more to United, who to this point, in the PIF-owned era, were yet to really lay a glove on any of the main players in the top six.
But goals from Miguel Almiron, Callum Wilson and Kieran Trippier, in answer to Ilkay Gundogan’s opener, sparked what proved to be a real Premier League classic on the Tyne.
An overturned Trippier red card and two goals from Erling Haaland and Bernardo Silva stirred the pot at St James’ in the second 45 as drama, action and free-flowing football reigned supreme in what was an absorbing, exhilarating encounter.
Howe went with an unchanged XI for the visit of the defending Premier League champions with natural center-back Dan Burn again deployed as a makeshift left-back in the absence of Matt Targett.
In the opening exchanges this one looked like men against boys as Pep Guardiola’s men toyed with the Magpies. In truth, they can do that to any team in world football, so no shame there.
They hit their stride after just five minutes when Silva jinked and feinted to turn the United backline inside out before delivering straight to the feet of Gundogan who dispatched past Nick Pope with ease.
Was this a sign of things to come? Well, it certainly felt that way, for the first 20 minutes, anyway. And Pope had to be at his very best to keep Kevin De Bruyne at bay.
First an error by Joe Willock saw the Belgian break and test Pope low down, but the United number-one was equal to it. Then the Newcastle stopper had to dive full stretch to deny De Bruyne’s curling free-kick.
From then on, it was the home side that began to set the tempo, playing with purpose, pace and intent.
Allan Saint-Maximin clearly liked the look of Kyle Walker down the City right and went at him, inside and out, at every available opportunity. And it was the Frenchman who carved open Newcastle’s first real chance of the game.
His pace and drop of the shoulder opened up an opportunity for Almiron, but the Paraguayan smashed over the top when well-placed.
United weren’t finished there, however. Callum Wilson next went close, but saw Ederson deny, although the offside flag was raised.
It was again raised two minutes later as Almiron turned in a cross from the left with his chest, but this time the VAR gods were shining in Newcastle’s favor.
With the goal originally chalked off, the review went to Premier League video HQ at Stockley Park for a second, third and fourth look. After a lengthy delay, referee Jarred Gillett pointed to the center circle and the Newcastle faithful in a packed St James’ Park went berserk.
Many United sides of the past, faced with opposition of the ilk of City, would have shut up shop and prayed for halftime. Not this one, though.
And their daring to dream was rewarded with another goal, cue yet more wild celebrations, including from United non-executive chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan in the Newcastle directors’ box.
A Fabian Schar long ball out to the left fell short but was inadvertently flicked on by Walker, who had a torrid afternoon, and Saint-Maximin again broke. The huge improvement in his decision-making has been highlighted by Howe in recent weeks, and that was again evident on the day, as he tucked into Wilson, after showing John Stones a clean set of heels, and the striker wrong-footed Ruben Dias to divert home with his left.
The lead at the break was no less than the rampant Magpies deserved, even after a very troubled opening quarter.
Starting where they left off, it was soon 3-1.
Another mazy, winding run for Saint-Maximin saw him break from deep to the edge of the City area, only for Stones to chop him down in full flight.
The Newcastle fans often sing “Kieran Trippier, over the wall” in an ode to his free-kick exploits, and the Newcastle skipper did not disappoint with a pinpoint effort into Ederson’s top right-hand corner.
This was all too easy for United: They couldn’t could they? Man City definitely had a thing or two to say about that.
Within seven minutes of Trippier nearly bursting the Gallowgate End net, City were back in it, and it was the hottest striking property on the planet with the lifeline.
A looped ball into the area was turned back across goal and Haaland volleyed in past a helpless Pope.
The big Norwegian went close to a second soon after as he out-paced Sven Botman and the rest of the Newcastle backline only to see his finish stopped by the sprawling legs of Pope, again.
In a game that ebbed and flowed with a beautiful symmetry, City got themselves level in a manner few in world football can do.
They bulldozed their way through the Newcastle backline with remarkable poise and finesse as De Bruyne clipped to Silva, who levelled with limited fuss.
That didn’t pop Newcastle’s bubble though, as Howe’s men kept up their tireless pressing and probing down the channels. Key, though, they restricted City to lobbed crosses into the area in a resolute defensive display led from the back by the remarkable Pope.
The quality of the encounter was only marred for a few moments in the second period when Gillet red-carded Trippier, only to have a look at it again on the monitor, and downgrade to a yellow a cynical but far from malicious tackle on De Bruyne.
A point gained for United against one of the Premier League’s finest is not to be sniffed at but Howe will no doubt feel a touch of disappointment that his side couldn’t hang on for the win, despite the fact it was his first Premier League point against City in 13 attempts.