The Magpies, remarkably, were 3-1 up on the hour after a fine display up to that point, but goals from Erling Haaland and Bernardo Silva rescued a point for Pep Guardiola’s men, who now sit second in the table, four positions above. their opponents. The visitors took advantage of poor defending from Newcastle to open the scoring after just five minutes. Bernardo Silva came in from the right wing and rolled a cross to Ilkay Gundogan at the far post, who had time to trap the ball before sending it into the net. Premier League ‘One of the toughest opponents’ – Guardiola heaps praise on Newcastle after pulsating draw AN HOUR AGO City threatened to score massively but eventually the hosts regrouped. Allan Saint-Maximin in particular was unplayable. He set up a golden chance for Miguel Almiron in the 17th minute, which the Paraguayan fired over the bar, before setting up Almiron again to equalize after 28 minutes. Five minutes before half-time, Saint-Maximin ran into City’s midfield again, this time slipping a pass to Callum Wilson on the edge of the box, who gave Newcastle a 2-1 lead. The second half started with more of the same. Saint-Maximin was dragged down on the edge of the box shortly after the break and Kieran Trippier curled in a superb free-kick to extend Newcastle’s lead. The Toon continued to pour in numbers and had chances to put more light between themselves and their opponents as City looked nervous and on the verge of collapse. Then came four minutes that saw the match turn on its head. City caused chaos at a corner, winning another in the confusion. From this, De Bruyne curled a cross to the far post, which Rodri nodded for Erling Haaland to convert and get the visitors back into the match. Haaland then had another chance soon after to equalise, but Pope came out of his box to deny the Norwegian. Moments later, however, City were level as De Bruyne tucked in a through ball that only Bernardo saw coming. The Portuguese was left alone in front of Pope and calmly finished for 3-3.
Trippier was sent off 10 minutes later for a foul on Kevin De Bruyne. However, VAR intervened and Trippier only received a warning. City dominated the final moments but have to settle for a point earned from a tight spot.

Talking point: Man City’s Achilles heel

Manchester City’s weakness has long been against the counter-attack. Guardiola’s side inevitably dominate possession and press forward in numbers. Logically, the space is there to attack. What Newcastle showed, though, is the importance of clever transitions and counter-attacking in numbers. Their fluid front four of Saint-Maximin, Wilson, Joelinton and Joe Willock put City away on the break again and again. When those attacks broke down, they pressed aggressively, forcing many turnovers in dangerous areas. They probably should have had more than the two goals in the first half and City just couldn’t cope. The crucial element was Saint-Maximin. The Frenchman reliably beats the first player, giving his teammates time to come forward and make themselves available for the pass. City eventually stemmed the flow of passes to Saint-Maximin and only then found a foothold in the match, eventually returning to 3-3.

Player of the match

Saint-Maximin was superb in the first half against City. He had two assists, and if not for Almiron’s shocking miss, he could have had more. He earned foul after foul in the second half as City gave up trying to legally stop him. And it was the Frenchman who was hauled in on the edge of the box to set up Trippier’s goal. He was vital to Newcastle’s game plan and played his part perfectly. His dribbling, always his key asset, gave his teammates time to press forward on the break and provided an outlet whenever City’s long spells of possession broke down. His decision making was excellent and he tore England defender Kyle Walker to pieces.

Player Ratings

Newcastle: Pope 9, Trippier 8, Schar 6, Botman 7, Burn 6, Bruno 6, Willock 7, Joelinton 7, Almiron 7, Saint-Maximin 10, Wilson 7 Subs: Krafth N/A, Wood 5, Murphy 5, Longstaff 6 Man City: Ederson 6, Walker 3, Stones 5, Ake 5, Cancelo 6, Rodrigo 6, De Bruyne 7, Gundogan 8, Bernardo 7, Haaland 7, Foden 7 Subs: Jupiter 5

Match highlights

5′ GOAL – MANCHESTER CITYBernardo Silva drifts down the left wing and finds Gundogan free in the box. The City captain controls the ball and hammers home Nick Pope’s shot. 17′ HUGE CHANCE BY ALMIRONSaint-Maximin gets past his man on the edge of the box and pulls it back to Miguel Almiron who is alone in the penalty spot. Almiron leans far back and fires at z-row. 28′ GOAL – NEWCASTLEMiguel Almiron makes up for his chance earlier, sliding in to convert Saint-Maximin’s right-footed cross from the left. 39′ GOAL – NEWCASTLENewcastle go from end to end in seconds. Saint-Maximin receives a long ball on the halfway line and weaves through City’s midfield. As the defenders close in, the Frenchman rolls the ball into the path of Wilson, who takes a touch and finishes well to beat Ederson. 54′ GOAL – NEWCASTLEKieran Trippier steps up and fires a superb free kick into the top left corner of the goal. 60′ GOAL – MANCHESTER CITY De Bruyne heads it in at the far post and Rodry nods in for Haaland to drag Manchester City back into the match. 64′ GOAL – MANCHESTER CITY De Bruyne slips a brilliantly disguised ball to Bernardo Silva, who waits for the pass and puts it behind Newcastle’s forward line. 76′ RED CARD – NEWCASTLE Kieran Trippier is sent off for a cynical foul on a counter-attacking De Bruyne, but VAR steps in and downgrades it to a yellow card.

Basic statistics

Newcastle: 2.3xG – Newcastle have easily produced the highest expected goals conceded by Manchester City this season. The hosts did an excellent job of turning their counter attacks into important chances. Pressuring Ederson is key to beating City, and while Newcastle didn’t quite get it right, they came very close. City only conceded 27.2 xG last season, Newcastle made up almost 10% of that total during this game alone. City of Manchester: Nine – City conceded nine errors in their own defensive third against Newcastle. Given the extent to which their attacking system puts pressure on their back line, the champions cannot afford to add that extra pressure. They showed a real vulnerability to attacking pressure, which Newcastle’s front four were only too willing to provide. It could easily have been decisive if not for the brilliance of City’s forwards. Transcripts Manchester United and Chelsea face Toney battle – Paper Round 15 HOURS AGO Premier League ‘This was needed’ – Jesus is relishing new role as Arsenal’s main man, says Arteta YESTERDAY AT 13:11