And here is the report.
Full time: Manchester City 2-0 Newcastle United
Peep peep! City move up to fifth after an almost pointlessly easy win over Newcastle. Almost. Ilkay Gundogan and Ferran Torres got the goals; the brilliant Joao Cancelo was man of the match. City were in control throughout and kept their usual clean sheet with the minimum of fuss.
Tonight’s other Premier League match has finished Sheffield United 0-1 Everton. That means Everton move up to second in the table, and United stay bottom. Thanks for your company, goodnight!
Updated
90+1 min Three minutes of added time.
90 min Phil Foden gets another chance to show what he can do at Premier League level. He replaces Ilkay Gundogan.
88 min Joao Cancelo is booked for booting - and you’ll like this - Andy Carroll up in the air.
86 min De Bruyne shuffles past two players and whacks a shot that hits Schar.
85 min Aguero appeals unsuccessfully for a penalty after a challenge from Darlow. He was offside, and Darlow got the ball anyway.
85 min This match is over. City are passing the ball around, as they have all night. In fact they have played 715 passes to Newcastle’s 170.
GOAL! Sheffield Utd 0-1 Everton (Sigurdsson 80)
Everton have taken the lead at Bramall Lane, and if it stays like that they will go second in the table.
82 min Dwight Gayle has come on for Newcastle in place of Miguel Almiron.
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81 min: Fine save by Darlow! Aguero almost scored with his first touch. De Bruyne released Cancelo on the right for the umpteenth time tonmight. He slid in a lovely low cross to the far post, where Aguero’s shot was pushed away by the sliding Darlow.
80 min Schar is booked for unashamedly taking out De Bruyne.
78 min Murphy’s long-range shot is pushed away well by Ederson, sprawling to his right. That was Newcastle’s best attempt of the match.
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77 min Another City change: Sergio Aguero replaces Ferran Torres, who had a decent night and scored the second goal.
75 min A glorious long pass from Ederson releases Sterling, who is just beaten to the ball on the edge of the area by the flying Darlow. Moments later, a low cross from the right is missed by Torres; I think Schar got a slight touch to divert it away from him.
Updated
73 min Darlow makes a fine save from Torres, who was subsequently flagged offside. Replays show he was a few yards beyond the defence when he ran onto Cancelo’s pass.
71 min Cancelo hammers another cross that is put behind by Schar. Before the corner is taken, Andy Carroll replaces Joelinton.
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70 min Joelinton has a back injury. He’s struggling on for now but Andy Carroll is getting ready to replace him.
66 min Bernardo Silva pokes the ball across the area to Sterling, who is about to score when Hayden nips in front to make a vital interception. Newcastle then make a substitution: Jamal Lewis replaces Matt Ritchie at left wing-back.
65 min Ritchie is booked for a foul on Joao Garrincha Jimmy Johnstone Cancelo. He has had a storming game.
64 min City are in total control. Newcastle haven’t played terribly - they’ve shown more ambition than in some recent games against City - but there’s an obvious difference in class.
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63 min There’s a brief VAR check for a possible City penalty after a clumsy challenge by Yedlin on Sterling. No dice.
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59 min: What a miss from Sterling! This is blooper gold. Joao Cancelo’s fiercely driven cross from the right gave Sterling an open goal, four yards out. He contrived to kick the ball against his standing legand it rebounded away from goal. It reached Bernardo Silva, who thumped it off the outside of the post. He should probably have scored as well.
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58 min This win will move City up to fifth in the table, or fourth if Everton lose at Sheffield United. That game is still 0-0, in name and nature.
57 min Rodri, who has been booked, is replaced by Fernandinho.
GOAL! Manchester City 2-0 Newcastle (Torres 55)
Game over. The excellent Joao Cancelo broke into the area from the right and fizzed a low cross into the six-yard box. Fernandez, facing his own goal, could only clear it as far as Torres, who tapped it in from eight yards. Fernandez could have let the cross go but didn’t know what was behind him.
Updated
51 min Sterling has a shot blocked by Yedlin. Newcastle break through Murphy, whose low shot from a tight angle is well held, low to his right, by Ederson.
50 min: Chance for City! De Bruyne waves a free-kick into the area, Stones heads it back across goal and Torres can’t quite reach it on the stretch. Stones could have gone for goal himself; I’m not sure why he didn’t.
Updated
49 min Murphy loses a boot after a challenge from behind by Gundogan. He struggles on, skidding all over the place, and almost plays a through pass to Joelinton.
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47 min Gundogan crumps Hayden near the halfway line, a clear yellow card. The referee Andre Marriner doesn’t even give a free-kick.
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46 min Peep peep! City begin the second half.
Half-time reading
Half time: Man City 1-0 Newcastle
Peep peep! City lead after 45 minutes of mostly sterile domination. Ilkay Gundogan scored the goal after a fine build-up involving the excellent Joao Cancelo and Raheem Sterling. It’s been dull, in truth, but City are getting the job done.
45+1 min “There might be hope for Newcastle in boredom if the team can only realise Bruce’s plan and suck the life out of City while remaining awake,” says Ian Copestake.
45 min Cancelo, on the stretch, fails to control Sterling’s pass from the right. Had he done so he’d have been through on goal. He’s playing at right-back but every time I look up he seems to be in the No10 position.
44 min De Bruyne angles a fine pass into the area for Sterling, who tries to twist Schar inside out on the corner of the six-yard box. Schar stays on his feet and pokes the ball behind for a corner, from which nothing eventuates.
44 min “City’s midfield balance isn’t right, starting from the deepest player,” says Chris Faherty. “Fernandinho was so good positionally but also his passing tempo got City going much quicker than Rodri tends to. Don’t fancy Rodri at all tbh, think the sooner they bite the bullet and play Bernardo Silva deeper and closer to De Bruyne with only one of Rodri or Gundogan in midfield they’ll look a lot more penetrating. Tactical and physical reasons to not do so in every game for them of course.”
The switch to 4-2-3-1 is fascinating, and not something I thought Pep Guardiola would ever do. I agree about the tempo of the passing, which is the slowest it’s been since Pep Guardiola came to City.
41 min The corner is headed away by Ake. Almiron collects the ball on the left and puts in a good cross that is headed across goal by Joelinton. Schar, on the stretch, almost got to it.
40 min Yedlin’s dangerous cross is sliced over his own bar by Dias to give Newcastle their first corner.
Updated
39 min Newcastle have had a few promising attacks, though until now their final ball has been dreadful.
37 min Joao Cancelo clips another fine pass over the defence to Sterling, whose shot from a tight angle is pushed into the side netting by Darlow.
35 min: Good save by Darlow! City almost made it 2-0 on the break. Ferran Torres lobbed a lovely pass over the defence to put De Bruyne through on goal. He sidefooted the ball towards goal from 10 yards, and Darlow spread himself to make a really good stop.
Updated
34 min Rodri is booked for a brazen foul on Clark.
33 min Newcastle keep the ball for the best part of a minute. Eventually Ritchie curls a speculative ball down the left, and Joelinton fouls John Stones. Congratulations to all concerned.
31 min I don’t know what to say. Nothing is happening.
28 min Tiki taka tiki taka tiki taka. It’s a strange thing to say about a Pep Guardiola team, but this is boring.
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25 min “Everton’s play is equal to the dreary rainy weather,” says Mary Waltz. “Twenty minutes in and Calvert Lewin has not touched the ball.”
24 min City break two on two. Torres beats Schar easily on the edge of the box but his tame shot is comfortably saved by Darlow.
24 min The more I see that De Bruyne effort in the 20th minute, the more I think he meant it. Even by his standards, it would have been a ludicrous goal.
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23 min There’s a break in play after a clash of heads between Ruben Dias and Ciaran Clark, who bravely headed the ball clear and then thumped into Dias. Both players seem okay.
Here’s more on the sad news of Jim McLean’s death
20 min De Bruyne’s mishit cross/ingenious driven chip is pawed away desperately by the backpedalling Darlow. I’m pretty sure it was a cross, as he was on his left foot and the angle was absurdly tight.
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18 min It’s very one-sided. If Pep’s great City side of 2017-19 were similar in style to his Barcelona team, this lot - for richer and poorer - remind me of Spain 2012. There has been a fair whiff of sterile domination about their performances this season, even though they are usually good enough to win.
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Sheffield United 0-0 Everton “At Bramall Lane, neither side’s midfield seems too keen on having the ball,” writes Gary Naylor. “I think Yerry Mina might as well pass it to the referee and he can hold on to it until the last 20 minutes when the game might loosen up a little.”
It was a nicely worked goal. After a very patient passing move, Joao Cancelo - the nominal right back, lurking on the edge of the D in open play - slid a neat ball through to Sterling in the area. He dummied the goalkeeper and two defenders on the corner of the six-yard box before looking up and giving Gundogan a tap-in. Admirable composure from Sterling.
Updated
GOAL! Man City 1-0 Newcastle (Gundogan 14)
City score with their first chance.
12 min City have had 69 per cent of the possession, though almost all of it has been in front of the Newcastle defence, and the tempo hasn’t been great either.
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9 min Newcastle have looked quite bright on the ball. You certainly couldn’t say they’ve parked the bus, yet.
6 min Torres plays a good pass down the right to Sterling, whose cross is sliced over his own bar by Schar.
3 min A slow start to the game. City are playing with Bernardo Silva on the left and Raheem Sterling on the right, which is slightly surprising.
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1 min Peep peep! Newcastle kick off from right to left. They are in black and white stripes; City are in sky blue.
“Hi Rob,” says Norrie Hernon. “I am overwhelmingly and totally, disproportionately encouraged by the Arsenal result. It is joyous! 2021 is going to be GREAT! In other news, what do you say to the theory that City have been ‘holding back’ and will now mount an intensive second-half run, otherwise known as ‘doing a Fergie’?”
It’s a persuasive theory, but it doesn’t really fit the profile of Pep Guardiola. I just think they’re in transition. They have enough good players to go on a demented run after Christmas, but I don’t expect it to happen. Even if it does, they won’t catch Liverpool.
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The players stroll out of the tunnel, into the pouring rain. It looks vile at the Etihad.
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“Evening Rob,” says Simon McMahon. “Don’t know if you’ve heard, but just broken here that Jim McLean has died aged 83 after a long illness. A sad day for United, but what memories! A statue of him is due to be unveiled outside Tannadice next year, a fitting tribute.”
I hadn’t heard; that’s really sad news. Daniel Harris wrote an outstanding piece on him and Dundee United’s glory years.
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It is pelting down at the Etihad. It could be a miserable, lonely night for Joelinton.
The 5.30pm match finished Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea. Arsenal’s young team were excellent; Chelsea were a mess and should have lost by more.
Sheffield United v Everton We’ll have goal updates from the other evening game at Bramall Lane. The teams are in for that one as well.
Sheffield United (3-4-1-2) Ramsdale; Basham, Robinson, Egan; Baldock, Ampadu, Osborn, Stevens; McGoldrick; Brewster, Burke.
Substitutes: Verrips, Lowe, Jagielka, Bogle, Fleck, Norwood, McBurnie, Sharp, Mousset.
Everton (4-2-3-1) Pickford; Holgate, Mina, Keane, Godfrey; Doucoure, Davies; Iwobi, Sigurdsson, Gordon; Calvert-Lewin.
Substitutes: Olsen, Lossl, Kenny, Nkounkou, Coleman, Branthwaite, Gomes, Tosun, Bernard.
Team news
City make one change from the team that won at Southampton in their last league game. Nathan Ake replaces Kyle Walker, who has Covid-19, with Joao Cancelo moving to right-back.
Callum Wilson is only on the bench for Newcastle, whose team suggests a 5-4-1/9-0-1 formation.
Manchester City (4-2-3-1) Ederson; Cancelo, Stones, Dias, Ake; Gundogan, Rodri; Silva, De Bruyne, Sterling; Torres.
Substitutes: Steffen, Zinchenko, Laporte, Mendy, Fernandinho, Foden, Palmer, Aguero, Mahrez.
Newcastle United (5-4-1) Darlow; Yedlin, Schar, Fernandez, Clark, Ritchie; Murphy, Hayden, M Longstaff, Almiron; Joelinton.
Substitutes: Gillespie, Lewis, Krafth, Manquillo, S Longstaff, Anderson, Carroll, Gayle, Wilson.
Referee Andre Marriner.
Preamble
Hello. It’s been a while since Manchester City v Newcastle United was a mid-table clash. But City’s inert start to the season has left them in ninth, five points and three places above Newcastle. Most people will still see this match as a home banker. Newcastle have had some good results against City in recent years, but all of them have been at St James’ Park. They’ve lost their last 11 Premier League games at the Etihad, a run of results that includes a 6-1, two 5-0s and two 4-0s. It has to end sometime, but it’ll be a surprise if it happens tonight.
Kick off 8pm.
