How did Newcastle beat Man City?

Eddie Howe's Newcastle beat Man City 2-1.

For years, Howe had come out of Man City games with the same result. He tried pressing, he tried dropping deep. He changed formations, he changed roles, but he couldn’t win. A defeat to Brentford before the international break left Newcastle near the danger zone, and that was when Howe was forced to look back.

But instead of shaking things up, Howe opted to return to the basics: energy, pace, and the familiar 4-3-3 structure. Bruno Guimarães returned to the center. Hall and Livramento occupied the wings. Fabian Schär replaced Botman. Small adjustments, but big differences.

Howe knew he had a good core. All he needed was to get them back on track.

Newcastle have relied on the hard work of Nick Woltemade all season, but the German striker cannot change the game on his own if the system behind him is out of order. During his time with the national team, the coaching staff have refreshed Barnes and Murphy's movement patterns to better support him.

The results were immediate. Woltemade had three good chances, forcing Donnarumma to show his talent. But most importantly, Newcastle now had more than one lifeline.

Barnes was the real deal. He missed two clear-cut chances in the first half, and even shot wide from close range. But in the second half, he was the star of the show: opening the scoring with a superb finish, then scoring the winner after City had equalised.

Newcastle beat Man City.

A Newcastle that was once prone to collapse has now learned to stand firm. They did not panic before eight minutes of added time. They were strong in the contest, alert in pressing and sharp on the counter-attack.

Man City had more possession, as usual. But football isn't measured by percentages of possession. It's measured by survival against the opposition's attacks. Newcastle completely blocked the space between the lines, which Man City always exploit to suffocate their opponents.

They won more tackles, won more aerial duels, and had 36 clearances, almost double the visitors'. Man City had just four shots on target, and rarely broke through Newcastle's compact formation.

Former defender Jonathan Woodgate commented: “They play like that without the ball, they make it harder for Man City to find space than any other team.”

St James' Park has once again proven why it is one of the toughest grounds in England. Since the start of 2025, only Man City have won more at home than Newcastle. But the difference between a dangerous team and an unstable one lies away from home, where Newcastle have not won since April. That is Howe's next problem.

Newcastle did not beat Man City with a fancy trick. They won with composure, discipline and determination of a team that was pushed to the wall.

Howe doesn’t conjure up any magic. He simply sees the problem and fixes it. And sometimes, as this game proved, that’s enough to stop a Manchester City side accustomed to suffocating their opponents.

A deserved win, and confirmation that Newcastle can get back on their feet, as long as they remember to play like they did today.

Source: https://znews.vn/newcastle-da-thang-man-city-nhu-the-nao-post1605204.html