If your appetite for words about this match is not yet sated, here’s a match report for you. My work here is done. Bye!
A couple of City players talk. First Raheem Sterling:
I thought they soaked up the pressure really well and tried to counter-attack. We didn’t make it easy for ourselves but it shows the team spirit that we dug in, stayed together, stayed calm an got the win. At the end of the day we need to keep winning, keep getting three points.
And then Bernardo Silva:
We knew it would be a tough game. We played well in the first half. It’s not easy to play against a team that has 11 players behind the ball, and the last few games have been like this. In the second half, the last 10 minutes, it was very hard to keep the advantage but we did it. When you win 18 games in a row, you have to expect that teams will do whatever they can to try to stop you. We have to keep working the same way we have been doing since the start of the season, and that’s what we will be doing. We’re still in December, we just finished the first round. We have to play the second round with the same spirit and the same hunger.
Newcastle were woeful in the first half, but they did enough in the second to worry City. They may be on to something: play defensively and all-round-abysmally enough to make Pep think he can take off defenders and bring on strikers, and then profit later on from their lack of defenders. It relies on City not scoring five goals while they’re totally dominant, and they could have done that - and surely would have had Murphy got a first-half red card - but it’s an approach that nearly paid dividends.
If Man City lose 15 of their remaining 18 league games (and win the other 3) they would still end with more points than 2 seasons ago when they qualified for the Champions League.@TimesSport
— Bill Edgar (@BillEdgarTimes) December 27, 2017
Another telling statistic:
Passes completed in Newcastle 0-1 Man City:
— Richard Jolly (@RichJolly) December 27, 2017
Newcastle's 13 outfield players: 115
Nicolas Otamendi: 122.
Close win for Otamendi.
Final score: Newcastle United 0-1 Manchester City
90+4 mins: The referee sounds his whistle for the final time, and they’ve won again. Eighteen in a row now.
90+3 mins: City are wobbling here. This has blossomed eventually into an exciting match. Sane, though, wobbles literally, after a Newcastle player runs into the back of him. Free kick.
90+1 mins: Newcastle push again, but Shelvey’s wayward shot from 25 yards ruins things. Goal kick.
90+1 mins: There will be three minutes of stoppage time. It starts with Danilo conceding a throw-in, which is something he seems to have done a lot of in the last quarter-hour.
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89 mins: Ooooooh! A cross from the left, and Gayle throws his entire self at it in an attempt to generate enough power to score. And he does generate enough power to score, but not enough accuracy. Goal kick, but it was close.
87 mins: Murphy tries to lob the ball over the defence. Danilo heads it away. The crowd roars. They really have done their very best to be encouraging here.
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86 mins: Gundogan has a shot from 30 yards which is terribly high and terribly wide. It is his team’s 21st shot of the night, of which six have been on target.
85 mins: City’s second-half failings exposed:
It's down to 80.3%. Hopeless.
— Jonathan Wilson (@jonawils) December 27, 2017
82 mins: With the game becoming stretched City bring on Sane, who is perfectly equipped to profit from it. Silva comes off.
82 mins: Newcastle look the more likely scorers at the moment. Gayle has a shot from outside the area, which deflects out for a throw-in.
81 mins: City win a free kick, which De Bruyne dinks into the area. But it’s headed out, Murphy does excellently to carry the ball to the half-way line and then passes to Yedlin, who is, criminally, offside.
79 mins: Sterling’s shot deflects to Jesus, who tries to backheel in but makes little contact. The linesman keeps his flag down, and that would have been a hilariously offside goal had it gone in.
77 mins: Aguero, who has not been at his best but should still have scored tonight , comes off, with Mangala coming on. And for Newcastle Mbemba is replaced by Merino.
76 mins: This game isn’t won yet, though. The home fans have worked this out, and are quite excited to be just the 1-0 down.
75 mins: Newcastle attack! Gayle bursts into the area, runs in front of Danilo and flings himself to the ground. The crowd roars again; Gayle is booked for diving.
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74 mins: Newcastle string several passes together in their own half, each one uproariously oléd by the home fans.
73 mins: City win a corner, and De Bruyne doesn’t take it. Sterling does instead, and it’s headed away.
I *think* record possession in a Premier League game is 82.3% for City v QPR in 2012. At the moment they're on 82.8%. Very slowly and slightly soporifically, history might be being made.
— Jonathan Wilson (@jonawils) December 27, 2017
70 mins: Another substitution for Newcastle, who bring off Aarons and bring on Atsu.
69 mins: Aarons runs towards a loose ball on the right flank, inside City’s half. The crowd roars. Danilo gets there first, falls over and gets a free kick.
66 mins: De Bruyne hits the post! Newcastle nick the ball away from City and start heading upfield, the only problem being that none of them have actually got the thing. Danilo comes and claims it and passes to De Bruyne, whose 25-yarder clatters the meat of the upright. It rebounds to Aguero, who tucks it away but is offside.
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64 mins: Newcastle have been much better in this second half: City’s possession is down to just 82%.
62 mins: Newcastle make a change, taking off Joselu and bringing on the pacier Gayle.
60 mins: Sterling, found wide on the left, controls the ball beautifully and then executes a series of showy shimmies and feints without moving the ball or progressing things in any way, before passing backwards and the move peters out.
56 mins: Chance for De Bruyne, who plays a one-two with Jesus, runs into the area and then sidefoots way wide with his left foot.
@Simon_Burnton given the smaller teams' tactics, struggles & challenges against City et al, do you believe financial fair play regs have a) helped b) hindered or c) mocked football at the top domestic level?
— Britrock (@Britrock) December 27, 2017
I think they’ve been pretty irrelevant, but that the ownership models of Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United, and a couple of others, lack any relation to decency and humanity and all things good. At least City play enjoyable football, though, which is something.
54 mins: So far this half City’s short passing around the penalty area has been a little imprecise. Gundogan finds a way around the problem by not passing, and instead running to the edge of the box before shooting, but Elliot saves.
51 mins: Newcastle boot the ball out of defence and Joselu doesn’t just flick it on, he also gets on the end of his own flick on. Then he’s tackled.
50 mins: Sterling wriggles between two defenders and into the penalty area before shooting across goal, but he doesn’t get enough curl on the ball for it to go in, and it doesn’t go wide enough for it to set up Aguero. Goal kick.
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46 mins: Peeeep! We’re back under way, with no changes to either side.
Manchester City had 83% of possession in the first half, and 15 shots to Newcastle’s three. There have been hints that City might be defensively vulnerable - the only time Newcastle put a decent ball into the penalty area they pretty much self-destructed - but the home side have only tested them the once. Here’s a painfully revealing statistic:
Completed passes in the opposition half after 45 minutes...
— Adam Bate (@ghostgoal) December 27, 2017
Newcastle United: 24
Nicolas Otamendi: 53
Half time: Newcastle United 0-1 Manchester City
45+2 mins: Of all the tactical finagling that various teams have attempted in an effort to avoid defeat to Manchester City, Newcastle’s tonight must be among the most inept. On the plus side, they’re only one goal down, and an upset remains theoretically possible, which is a victory of sorts.
45+1 mins: And into stoppage time we roll. There’ll be a minute or so of it.
45 mins: A prolonged spell of City possession in irrelevant areas, mostly within 20 yards of the half-way line.
42 mins: Another ludicrous De Bruyne pass to Sterling, who finds Aguero, who shoots wide.
40 mins: City counter-attack in numbers and really should have scored, but Sterling’s pass to De Bruyne was a little weak, and after that all the precision disappeared from the move. Aguero did have a shot, though, which went wide.
40 mins: Newcastle win two corners. Two!
39 mins: Fernandinho trips Aarons as Newcastle try to break, and would have been booked but for a) the referee being a bit embarrassed about the whole Jacob Murphy business; and b) he actually didn’t touch him.
37 mins: The last five minutes, since Newcastle woke up to the fact that their tactics were failing abysmally, have been quite fun. “I recently learned that guitar legend Mark Knopfler hails from Newcastle, and that the St. James’ Park PA plays his song Local Hero on match days,” writes Peter Oh. “Given today’s visitors, segueing straight into Money for Nothing would have been a nice touch.”
36 mins: “Rafa probably does not want Newcastle to win but to draw heroically,” writes Ian Copestake. “Otherwise he won’t be able to read out his list of demands necessary to join the elite.”
34 mins: Newcastle nearly score! A really good goal!A looping cross from the right bounces to Aarons on the left of the area, and with Ederson coming out he lifts the ball over the goalkeeper, and it would have gone in had Otamendi not headed it off the line!
33 mins: The goal was, I think, City’s 13th shot of the game. Newcastle had 10 men behind the ball, and still there was a steady stream of chances. It was just total tosh.
32 mins: It’s all very well playing defensively, but Newcastle have defended pretty hopelessly, while simultaneously offering no attacking threat whatsoever, except for from kick-offs.
GOAL! Newcastle 0-1 Manchester City (Sterling, 31 mins)
The most hilariously one-sided half-hour of football ends with City taking the lead in stylish, um, style. Sterling has the ball on the left wing, passes inside to De Bruyne and sets off for the penalty area; De Bruyne lifts the ball into his path and Sterling swings a left foot to divert the ball in at the near post.
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30 mins: Aguero, 25 yards out, goes past Mbemba and sends a dipping shot onto the outside of the far post.
28 mins: An excellent long pass sets Aguero running against Mbemba. The Argentinian realises that he won’t win the header, so at the last moment stops and positions himself where he thinks Mbemba’s clearing header might drop. Mbemba’s clearing header drops onto his chest. He then fluffs a pass to Sterling, but that was lovely anticipation.
27 mins: Newcastle’s shot direct from the kick-off mean they are behind on the shot count by just 10 to one.
26 mins: De Bruyne shoots wildly high from the edge of the area, having been picked out by Otamendi’s no-look 25-yard pass.
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25 mins: I mean, Yedlin touched the ball maybe two yards beyond the half-way line, and sent it straight to a blue shirt.
24 mins: To describe that single Newcastle touch as “danger” is hilariously but beautifully optimistic.
24' - Newcastle look to get forward after Murphy traps the ball and feeds the overlapping Yedlin on the right but the visitors get back in numbers to quell the danger. 0-0. #NUFC
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) December 27, 2017
22 mins: Newcastle kick the ball in the Manchester City half! Just once, but it’s a start.
18 mins: That free kick came from a Jacob Murphy foul on Gundogan which Gary Neville thinks should have led to a red card. He’s got a point, as well - he landed his foot studs-first on Gundogan’s leg, nowhere near the ball. The linesman is a few yards away, and flags for a foul; Murphy isn’t even booked.
17 mins: Another free kick from out wide, and De Bruyne’s delivery is perfect this time, Aguero heads and Elliot saves brilliantly!
16 mins: Another City corner, and a better delivery from De Bruyne, but the ball bounces through the area and out the other side.“As a Bristol City fan, I’ve always had a liking for Luton Town since learning about their 12-0 victory over Bristol Rovers on 13th April 1936,” writes Steven Hughes. “Luton’s wing-half, Joe Paine was played up the pitch at centre-forward, due to the club’s injury crisis: he hit 10 of his side’s 12 goals that day.”
A fine yarn, of which more here:
15 mins: Newcastle, closing down their opponents, force City to pass back to Ederson, an event that is loudly cheered by the home fans. It is as close as they’ve come to attacking since the first second of the game.
14 mins: Aguero, briefly free in the area after a one-two, is closed down and wins only a corner, which leads to another corner, which leads to nothing much.
13 mins: Walker is tripped, winning a free kick, but De Bruyne’s delivery is - whisper it - not very good.
11 mins: Just before the substitution, De Bruyne blasts a shot wide from a decent position on the edge of the penalty area.
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10 mins: Fortunately it looks unlikely that City will need to do any defending tonight, so Kompany isn’t strictly necessary. Indeed, Guardiola is going to bring on Jesus.
9 mins: Unbelievably, Vincent Kompany appears to be injured.
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7 mins: Chance for City! And it should have gone in! Fernandino sends a dipping diagonal ball into the area, and it arrows onto the toe of Aguero, just beyond the far post, who prods wide! I think Elliot might have got a touch to it, but it’s a goal kick.
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4 mins: Newcastle string two passes together. They might even have completed three, just. But they are protecting their area well, and so far City have tried two crosses that have flown straight to Elliot, and one long-range Otamendi shot that flew wide.
3 mins: Newcastle, playing as expected with five at the back, have had possession for less than three seconds so far. Elliot is the only member of their team to have had control of the ball.
1 min: Action! And we’ve had our first shot on target! Shelvey had a pop from the kick-off, and Ederson caught it easily.
Pre-match ad-break complete, there’s nothing now between us and action.
And they emerge from the tunnel. Nice to see a team eschew the current trend for Premier League anthem-specific leisurewear: City are in snuggly long-sleeved training tops, but Newcastle just wear their kits.
The players are betunneled.
@Simon_Burnton 2001 I think, Gazza, a late sub for Everton, went to take a corner in front of the Toon Army and was thunderously applauded. When it died down - the players were waiting - we applauded the Geordies. Bit of a second team for me since.
— Gary Naylor (@garynaylor999) December 27, 2017
That sounds like a moment. A bit like when Ashley Young returns to Watford, only with applause and happiness.
Rafael Benitez speaks on his selection and tactics. He’s giving nothing away:
They have three games in a few days so we use the squad. At the moment we have an idea. We’ll try to stop them, try to go forward and score. We have a chance to have players everywhere around the ball, and we’ll try to do it.
And Pep Guardiola speaks about his first visit to Newcastle, and his squad rotation.
Yeah, it’s the first time. Nice to be here. Because it’s a famous stadium, a famous club. A lot of tradition. We have a lot of games. Everybody’s going to play.
There have, it must be said, been more revelatory interviews.
@Simon_Burnton The idea of the 'second club' is anathema to many and yet I bear a great affection for the Magpies, perhaps stemming from an evening not long after my move from Canada when a Geordie asked me in the coach queue, 'What part of the Netherlands are you from?' Perfect
— Hubert O'Hearn (@BTBReviews) December 27, 2017
For me football clubs fall into three rough groups: the one I support, the ones I am ambivalent about, and a few that I dislike, mainly because of some pathetic grudge picked up in the away end about 20 years ago. In addition I have liked particular teams that have represented random clubs or countries at various points in our shared histories, but I can’t really think of any teams I’m particularly fond of at the moment, though I have something of a blossoming crush on Huddersfield.
David Silva misses the game with unspecified personal issues, which have apparently forced him to once again return to Spain. The game will be poorer for his absence and I hope whatever-it-is resolves itself as happily and swiftly as possible.
And three changes for City: IN come the three players who came off the bench against Bournemouth, namely Danilo, Gundogan and Bernardo Silva. OUT go Delph, David Silva and Sane.
That’s five - count ‘em - changes for Newcastle. IN come Mbemba, Dummett, Murphy, Shelvey and Aarons, while OUT slip Clark, Ritchie, Saivet, Atsu and Perez.
The teams!
The team sheets have been handed in, and tonight’s protagonists will be ...
Newcastle: Elliot, Mbemba, Lascelles, Dummett, Yedlin, Shelvey, Diame, Manquillo, Murphy, Aarons, Joselu. Subs: Clark, Gayle, Ritchie, Perez, Merino, Darlow, Atsu.
Man City: Ederson, Walker, Kompany, Otamendi, Danilo, De Bruyne, Fernandinho, Gundogan, Bernardo Silva, Aguero, Sterling. Subs: Bravo, Mangala, Sane, Adarabioyo, Gabriel Jesus, Toure, Diaz.
Referee: Andre Marriner.
TEAM NEWS: Here's how Newcastle United will line up against @ManCity at St. James' Park this evening (kick-off 7:45pm GMT). #NUFC pic.twitter.com/YHNUJpetiQ
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) December 27, 2017
Team News | How we line-up tonight at St. James’ Park!
— Manchester City (@ManCity) December 27, 2017
Presented by @HAYSWorldwide #nufcvcity #mancity pic.twitter.com/zVlOougMZ4
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Hello world!
Manchester United have tried. Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham have had a go. Arsenal, Burnley, Leicester and Watford have chanced their arm. Huddersfield, Brighton, Stoke and Southampton gave it a whirl. Crystal Palace, the Wests Ham and Brom and Swansea have all taken their shot. Bournemouth have done it twice. Only Everton, who earned an honourable draw at the Etihad back in August, haven’t failed completely. Tonight Manchester City complete the set: Newcastle are the last club to come up against Pep Guardiola’s rampaging record-compiling league leaders. Can they be stopped?
Well, let’s examine the evidence. Since 21 October, when Newcastle beat Crystal Palace 1-0 at home, Rafa Benitez’s side have been officially the worst in the Premier League, amassing four points from 10 games, scoring nine times. In the same time City have won 30 points and scored 28. Since the start of 2007 City have won seven times here, drawn twice and never lost, their recent head-to-head record against Newcastle so good that if they avoid defeat tonight it would set a new club record for games unbeaten against a single team, at 20. In short, Benitez’s pre-match exhortation for his side, having beaten West Ham last time out, to “back that result up against Manchester City” sounds not so much optimistic as downright hilarious.
Still, it’s a funny old game etc and so forth, anything can happen, and you never know who has perhaps a few too many festive mince pies and imbibed one dram of brandy too many. Time will tell, and I’m glad to be spending that time with you. Unless you go somewhere else. Welcome!
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