De Bruyne helps Man City beat Newcastle

Kevin de Bruyne entered the field in the 69th minute, then scored and created a beautiful assist to help Man City beat home team Newcastle 3-2, round 21 of the Premier League.

The match at St James Park was arguably the best of the season, with all five goals being considered masterpieces, not to mention controversial. Newcastle had come from behind to lead 2-1 with two goals in two minutes, but the game changed when De Bruyne came on. The Belgian took just five minutes to equalise, before he set up 21-year-old midfielder Oscar Bobb to seal a 3-2 victory for the defending champions in second-half stoppage time.

De Bruyne (right) celebrates scoring the equalizer 2-2 for Man City against Newcastle at St James Park, Tyne and Wear, round 21 of the Premier League on January 13, 2024. Photo: Reuters

The match was exciting from the start, when midfielder Sean Longstaff put the ball into the Man City net but the goal was disallowed for offside. Because the referee raised the flag too late, goalkeeper Ederson collided with his opponent while rushing out to fight and was injured. After about five minutes on the field, the Brazilian goalkeeper could not continue playing and had to leave the field to make way for Stefan Ortega. Images show that Ederson has a fairly deep tear on his thigh.

Despite missing Erling Haaland due to injury and Kevin de Bruyne on the bench, Man City still opened the scoring with a masterpiece from Bernardo Silva. From Kyle Walker's cross on the right, the ball slightly deflected Silva's back as he rushed in, but the Portuguese midfielder still flicked his right heel to the far corner and the ball rolled into the net, surprising goalkeeper Martin Dubravka.

Phil Foden put his hands on his head and looked at Silva with admiration. While the visitors were celebrating, home defender Dan Burn rushed in and blamed the opponent for not kicking the ball out of bounds when midfielder Anthony Gordon was down. However, it was difficult to blame Man City, because Gordon was lying in pain on the sidelines, so the doctors could take care of him immediately without having to enter the field. It was also because this midfielder was in pain that he could not pull back in time to prevent Walker from creating that goal for Man City.

Just 54 seconds after Newcastle kicked off again, defender Kieran Trippier misplaced a dangerous pass in his own half, allowing Silva to shoot with one touch in the penalty area. However, Dubravka made amends for his teammate by diving to push the ball against the crossbar and bounce out.

Newcastle regained their composure after that situation, gradually putting pressure on the visitors' defense to make mistakes. In the 35th minute, midfielder Bruno Guimaraes passed the ball from his own field behind Man City's high defense, allowing striker Alexander Isak to run down. The Swedish striker adjusted the ball to his right foot on the edge of the penalty area, then curled it into the far corner, giving Ortega no chance to block.

Isak's (right) curled shot equalized 1-1. Photo: EPA

Two minutes later, it was the turn of centre-back Ruben Dias to make a regrettable misplay in front of goal, allowing Gordon to receive the ball on the left flank. The midfielder turned the ball onto his right foot and curled the ball back to the exact spot where Isak had scored earlier, but the Man City goalkeeper still couldn't save it.

Newcastle continued to put pressure and even played dirty tricks, causing Man City's players to lose their composure. In the fourth minute of injury time in the first half, Guimaraes, who had already received a yellow card, still stepped on Rodri's shoe, and the referee gave Man City the advantage. Rodri then blocked Guimaraes without the ball, only to receive a yellow card. However, referee Chris Kavanagh did not show the Newcastle midfielder a card, causing coach Pep Guardiola to loudly complain to the referee.

Kavanagh continued to anger Rodri in the 52nd minute, when he dribbled close to the goal line but was tripped by Burn. The referee did not book the home defender, causing Rodri and Guardiola to react again. Three minutes later, Bernardo Silva fouled centre-back Fabian Schar in a similar way but near the halfway line, and this time the referee showed him the card. Outside the pitch, Guardiola held his head in disbelief.

Silva was the standout performer at Man City, but he was substituted in the 69th minute. But Guardiola showed why he is the best coach with this decision. Five minutes after coming on, De Bruyne received the ball in the middle, pushed it twice and shot from distance through Schar's legs to the post, leaving Dubravka surprised and unable to save. This was only the 33-year-old midfielder's first goal of the season, as he missed the first half of the season due to injury.

From the moment De Bruyne entered the field, the game changed. Newcastle did not create any dangerous opportunities, while Man City played aggressively, calmly passing the ball and waiting for the right opportunity. In the first minute of injury time in the second half, De Bruyne received the ball in the middle, hung it to the second post for Bobb to rush past Trippier, then turned the ball from his left foot to his right foot to eliminate goalkeeper Dubravka, before tapping it into the empty net.

Oscar Bobb (No. 52) scored the winning goal 3-2 for Man City. Photo: Reuters

De Bruyne and Bobb stood out, but Guardiola's talent in using players was undeniable. Bobb replaced Jeremy Doku in the 82nd minute, although Jack Grealish remained on the bench. The young midfielder did not disappoint his coach when he shone and scored his first goal in the Premier League.

Man City have won all six of their last matches in all competitions, moving just two points behind leaders Liverpool. They next travel to Tottenham in the fourth round of the FA Cup on the evening of January 26.

Hoang An

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