No interview with Pep, who is presumably fuming. Never mind, because Louise Taylor’s report has landed. Here’s her verdict; click and enjoy. And thanks for reading this MBM.
Steve Bruce talks to BT Sport. “We were terrific in their work and attitude. It’s always going to be difficult. And you need your keeper to make a few saves. And then you need that resilience, because the way they move the ball, they’re a fantastic team. The defensive organisation is key. We’d love to be a bit more fancy going the other way, but for what we’ve got at the moment, it suits us. The front three, even though they don’t score, they carry a threat. We have to be better and more clinical, but we’ve scored a couple of wonderful goals. We’ve now got a big game against Sheffield United, so we’ll get ready for that.”
Newcastle move up to 12th place, on 16 points, and are now six unbeaten at St James’ Park. Whisper it, but the initially unpopular Steve Bruce is doing a fine job. He’ll be winning the Toon Army over at this rate. City meanwhile move into second, ahead of Leicester on goal difference. But they’ll be back down to third tomorrow if Leicester City avoid defeat at home to Everton ... and more importantly, they only managed to close the gap on leaders Liverpool by one point. Should Liverpool beat Brighton at Anfield later this afternoon, that gap will be 11 points. No wonder Pep Guardiola disappeared down the tunnel quicksmart, with a look of concern on his face.
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Jonjo Shelvey, who has just done his old club a favour, speaks to BT Sport: “We thought we deserved a point. They keep the ball so well and move it about, but a point is probably a fair result in the end. Against them, it’s always going to be difficult. We needed to bounce back after Monday night, and to give a good account of ourselves shows we’ve got a bit of spirit about us. I might be a hero in Liverpool right now! But no, this is about us, and we need to get as many points on the board as possible to guarantee safety at this football club.”
FULL TIME: Newcastle United 2-2 Manchester City
Newcastle hang on! And what a finish that was! Kevin De Bruyne looked to have won all three points for the champions with a wonder strike ... only for Jonjo Shelvey to equalise with a sensational effort of his own. And so City move into second place, eight behind Liverpool ... but the leaders can build on their lead this afternoon if they beat Brighton. Not that anything in this league is certain.
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90 min +4: De Bruyne nearly breaks clear down the left, but Fernandez holds firm. Newcastle are hanging on.
90 min +3: City can’t get anything going, and time is running out.
90 min +2: De Bruyne glides in from the left and curls a glorious cross towards Sterling, in space just to the right of goal in the box. Sterling shoots, but doesn’t really catch it. Dubravka gathers brilliantly, with Silva waiting to tap anything loose into the net. What a chance!
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90 min +1: The first of four added minutes goes by without incident.
90 min: Two sensational goals. City need to go again for a winner. De Bruyne hooks a free kick into the box from the left. It’s sent out for a throw on the right. In the stand, a Newcastle fan in a Peaky Blinders cap refuses to hand the ball back to City in the pantomime style. Eventually he flings it back into the field of play, and sits down looking extremely pleased with his afternoon’s work.
GOAL! Newcastle United 2-2 Manchester City (Shelvey 88)
No, Newcastle aren’t spent at all! And anything Kevin De Bruyne can do, Jonjo Shelvey can match! Atsu pulls the free kick back to Shelvey, 25 yards out, just to the right of centre. Shelvey keeps his head down, and launches a stunning first-time shot into the top left! Ederson had no chance whatsoever!
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87 min: Or do they? Manquillo romps down the right and is cynically barged to the floor by Fernandinho, already on a yellow. No second card, but it is a free kick, just to the right of the area.
86 min: Mendy wins a corner off Manquillo down the left. De Bruyne takes. The ball drops to Fernandinho, on the edge of the area. He whistles a volley inches over the bar. Newcastle, having fought so hard for so long, suddenly look spent.
84 min: Pep immediately goes into keep-what-we-have mode. Rodri comes on for Jesus.
83 min: Newcastle will argue that Gayle was shoved to the floor by Bernardo Silva in the build-up. They might have a point; they might not. One of those, really. Either way, take nothing from the strike. What a goal by De Bruyne! City’s star man stepping up to the plate, just when things were getting a little desperate. Seems it’s not only Liverpool who can pop up with the important late goals!
GOAL! Newcastle United 1-2 Manchester City (De Bruyne 82)
What a goal this is! De Bruyne chests down a clearing header, lets the ball drop, and launches a heatseeker into the top left from the edge of the box! That was an absolute stunner! Kompanyesque!
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81 min: Saint-Maximin has hurt himself with that gymnastic display. He’s replaced by Atsu.
79 min: Shelvey loops a long ball down the inside left. Saint-Maximin goes haring after it. He’s in a footrace with Walker, who heads back to Ederson and shoulder-charges Saint-Maximin off the ball. Saint-Maximin executes an Olympic-standard quadruple roll, but he’s not getting the penalty he wants.
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77 min: Foden tees up De Bruyne, 25 yards out. De Bruyne drops a shoulder and shoots, but Clark throws his body in the road and that’s a corner. Stones meets the corner but stumbles in doing so, the ball harmlessly clanking out for a goal kick.
75 min: Almiron knocks the ball past Mendy and tears off after it. He’s cynically charged out of play by Mendy, who isn’t looking at the ball at all. But Newcastle don’t get the decision, and soon Sterling is running at them down the left. He wins a corner, which thankfully for those who get easily bored by confected controversy, comes to nothing.
73 min: Manquillo is booked for taking his own sweet time over a throw.
72 min: Walker storms down the right and hooks into the box for Foden, who mistimes a downward header from eight yards. Newcastle hack clear. City come again, and after some bagatelle on the edge of the box, the ball breaks to Bernardo Silva, free on the penalty spot! Silva drags his first-time shot wide right, a dismal effort.
70 min: Pep has seen enough. He makes a double sub, taking off Riyad Mahrez and David Silva and sending on Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden. Newcastle meanwhile swap Joelinton for Dwight Gayle.
68 min: They’re stepping it up now. A few passes pinged around. Silva suddenly slips a pass down the inside left to release Jesus into the box. Jesus should score, but Dubravka shapes like a star and blocks brilliantly. De Bruyne follows up, smashing the rebound goalwards, but that one’s stopped by the keeper too! The resulting corner comes to nothing, and Newcastle breathe again.
67 min: Much better from City, as Walker finds De Bruyne down the right. He storms towards the byline and bashes across the face of goal, where Jesus lurks. But Dubravka kicks clear. The closest the champions have come to opening Newcastle up in quite a while.
66 min: Saint-Maximin drops a shoulder and makes his way past Walker on the left. He crosses low, hoping to find Joelinton, but Fernandinho is well placed and not having it.
65 min: Jesus and Sterling one-two cutely down the middle, and nearly open up Newcastle just inside the box. But Manquillo slides in to block, and the ball rolls harmlessly through to Dubravka.
64 min: Mendy, out on the left, blooters a cross out of play on the right, with plenty of City players standing in threatening positions in the box. On the touchline, Guardiola prowls around, a frown creasing his brow. Plenty to think about here. Dubravka hasn’t had too many saves to make today.
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62 min: Manquillo drives down a cul-de-sac on the right. It had been a promising attack, with Almiron in close attendance, but City close it down. Newcastle are predominantly a defensive concern today, but they’re looking to attack wherever possible.
60 min: “Come on City,” their fans chant. They know their side, already trailing Liverpool by nine points, can’t afford to drop a couple more today.
58 min: Almiron drives in from the right and tries a curler towards the top left. Miles off. A desperate attempt, in more ways than one. He’s yet to score for Newcastle; there’s a big weight on his shoulders.
57 min: Silva dribbles down the inside left, reaches the byline, and stands one up to the far post. Jesus tries to bundle it in, but he can’t quite reach it. Goal kick, though Dubravka was worried for a second there.
56 min: Sterling dribbles down the left with great panache, but he’s crowded out, and the ball squirts through to Dubravka.
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55 min: De Bruyne eases infield from the left, and batters a rising shot towards the top right. Had it been on target, the net was coming off the frame of the goal, and the goal of the season competition would be over. As it was, a fine effort jets high and wide, but not by much at all.
54 min: Shelvey drags an overly ambitious free kick wide left. Ederson yawns.
53 min: Fernandez channels his inner Franz, stepping up from the back in an extremely statesmanlike style. A sensational Beckenbaueresque run, and suddenly Newcastle are on the break! Fernandez makes it past a few challenges, enters the City half, and rolls a ball down the middle for Joelinton, who is cynically brought down by Fernandinho before he can power towards goal. Fernandinho is booked, and it’s a free kick in a central position, 30 yards out.
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51 min: De Bruyne glides down the right and nearly finds Jesus in the middle. Just a corner. From the set piece, Mendy crashes a shot goalwards. It pinballs around, and slaps a Newcastle player on the arm. City claim for a penalty but they’re never getting one for that.
50 min: Saint-Maximin raises the volume again, skipping down the left in a very elegant fashion. He crosses to nobody in particular. Mercurial doesn’t begin to cover it.
49 min: Walker slides a pass down the right channel for Jesus, who threatens to spin Dummett on the edge of the box. But before he can execute the skill, the flag goes up. He’d come back from an offside position.
47 min: Newcastle appear to be similarly minded, though. Almiron busies himself down the right, flicking the ball from a tight spot to Joelinton with no little skill. The move peters out and that’ll be a goal kick, but the hosts have now made a statement of intent too.
City - kept waiting on the pitch awhile by the hosts - finally get the second half underway. Neither side have made a half-time change. While City were left hanging around, Pep took the opportunity to remind David Silva to raise the tempo. City were uncharacteristically ponderous in the first half. And Mendy’s on the charge immediately, racing down the left and whipping in a cross. No success this time, but there’s a statement of intent.
Half-time entertainment ... courtesy of Sunderland’s favourite son. You’re welcome.
HALF TIME: Newcastle United 1-1 Manchester City
De Bruyne shoots from the edge of the box. The ball’s blocked, and loops into the air. Dubravka plucks it from the sky, and that’s your lot for the first half. The hosts troop off, pleased with their work. City look a little pensive. No doubt they’ll come out flying in 15 minutes.
45 min: Hayden crosses from a deep position on the right. Stones’ clearing header is dreadful, falling straight to Almiron, just inside the box on the left. Almiron, yet to score for his new club, drops a shoulder, shifts the ball to the right ... but instead of shooting, loses control haplessly. Confidence in short supply.
43 min: Shelvey wins a 50-50 ball in the centre circle and feeds Joelinton, who hooks wide left for Almiron. A lot of grass ahead of him. Almiron looks up, sees there’s nobody in the box for him to find, and sends the ball in there anyway. A waste of a decent position. Very poor.
42 min: Mahrez makes himself a bit of space on the right, but his chipped cross has way too much weight, and sails over the heads of everyone in the box. In the dugout, Pep looks pained as he gulps enigmatically on a bottle of water.
40 min: It’s attack versus defence again. Sterling sails down the left, cuts infield and crosses. Clark clears with a textbook diving header. Keith Houchen would be proud. But Joelinton, the only Newcastle player upfield, can’t hold the ball up to bring a team-mate into play. The ball’s coming straight back at the hosts, again and again.
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38 min: Gundogan attempts to release Jesus down the inside-right channel with an incisive diagonal pass. But the ball’s too heavy, and sails out for a goal kick. Gundogan claims for a deflection and a corner, but the flag’s gone up for offside anyway. A little bit of City frustration leaking out.
36 min: Saint-Maximin zips down the right wing. A few tricks in the hope of getting past Mendy and Fernandinho. They don’t quite come off, but the Toon Army were off their seats there. He’s a born entertainer.
35 min: City are pressing Newcastle back again. Sterling, Mendy, Jesus and Silva are causing all manner of bother down the left channel. Newcastle hold their shape, just about, but some last-ditch clearances are being made as City ping it around in the assured style.
33 min: Mendy races down the left and gives the ball to Sterling, who shimmies along the edge of the box, left to right, before launching a shot goalwards. Dubravka parries and, after a fan-worrying fashion, smothers.
31 min: Silva has a shot from the edge of the box. Blocked. Newcastle stream up the other end, Saint-Maximin leading the charge. He feeds Almiron, who can’t pick a pass. The move breaks down. City are still on top, and look the more likely to score next. But Newcastle are playing with verve and confidence on the occasions they go forward, too.
29 min: City attempt to reassert their authority, Jesus scuttling down the right and fizzing a low cross into the mixer. There’s nobody in blue waiting to prod home, though, and Clark is able to clear.
27 min: Shelvey swings a cross in from the right. Hayden challenges for the ball, forcing Stones to slash it out hysterically for a corner. Nothing comes from the set piece, but Newcastle have their tails up now.
GOAL! Newcastle United 1-1 Manchester City (Willems 25)
This is a lovely goal. Willems rolls a pass down the inside-left channel for Almiron, who flicks it back to the left-back. Willems takes a touch inside, and threads a lovely curling shot into the bottom right! Ederson, at full stretch, had no chance. And that’s Almiron’s first assist in a Toon shirt!
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24 min: Saint-Maximin bursts past a couple of City shirts and is cynically clipped by Gundogan. The midfielder is booked, his fifth yellow card of the season, and he’ll be suspended for the visit to Burnley.
GOAL! Newcastle United 0-1 Manchester City (Sterling 22)
The pressure on Newcastle finally tells. A bit of pinball in the box, instigated by Sterling and Silva bustling down the inside left. Silva falls, but manages to guide the ball to Sterling with a cute flick of his heel, some class amid the melee. Sterling is suddenly free in a pocket of space on the penalty spot, and slams an unstoppable effort into the bottom right.
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20 min: Newcastle load the box. Shelvey tries to catch Ederson off guard, whipping a low curler towards the bottom left. It’s always heading wide, and the keeper would have had it covered anyway.
19 min: Dummett hoicks a pass down the left for Saint-Maximin. Ederson comes haring out of his box and heads out for a throw. He only just made it before the Newcastle man. Perfectly timed, but there would have been a few City hearts in mouths there. From the throw, De Bruyne clips Saint-Maximin, and this will be a free kick in a dangerous position, just to the left of the box. Shelvey’s eyes light up.
18 min: De Bruyne slips a ball down the inside-right channel and into the box. Jesus reaches it, to the right of the goal, and backflicks in the hope of teeing up Mahrez. Not quite, but it’s a corner. And that corner leads to another, which leads to Fernandinho heading over the bar. A good chance that, and not too far away.
16 min: Almiron strides out of defence with purpose, channelling his inner Beckenbauer as he sways up the middle, ignoring challenges, into a pocket of space. City are light at the back, but get away with it as Almiron asks too much of Joelinton with a pass down the right. Fernandinho refuses to be beaten for pace.
14 min: City ping it about metronomically, almost lulling Newcastle into a false sense of security as they make no attempt to go anywhere. But suddenly they turn it up a bit, De Bruyne striding down the right and whipping a low ball along the corridor of uncertainty. Dummett is forced to hack behind for a corner. Stones heads the set piece weakly wide right.
12 min: Newcastle have only enjoyed 18 percent possession so far. It could be a long day ... although they haven’t been tested seriously at the back yet, and they’ve had a couple of sorties upfield. Steve Bruce will be happy enough with this start.
10 min: Saint-Maximin sashays down the left at great speed, gliding infield and teeing up Almiron, 25 yards out. Almiron considers a shot, but instead switches to Manquillo on the right wing. Bad choice, as it turns out, because Manquillo blams a lumpen cross through the box and away from danger.
8 min: Joelinton nicks the ball off a dawdling Fernandinho, out on the right. He looks to scoop a pass across to Saint-Maximin, but Mendy gets in the road. Just as well, because Newcastle would have been off there. This is much better from the hosts.
7 min: The volume in St James’ Park suddenly cranks up to 11, as Saint-Maximin is sent scampering into some space down the left. He’s exciting to watch. He drifts infield and takes Newcastle’s first shot in anger. Actually it’s not so much angry as a bit miffed; he sends a pea-roller towards the bottom left, and it’s easily gathered by Ederson.
6 min: Silva and Jesus nearly open up Newcastle down the inside-left channel, but Clark intervenes to hook clear.
5 min: Gundogan takes a speculative whack from 25 yards. It bobbles through to Dubravka. City aren’t exactly rampant ... yet ... but they are well on top.
4 min: Newcastle have hardly touched the ball. Mahrez drops a shoulder and nearly skates past Willems, but the defender stands firm. Saint-Maximin tries to dribble away from Newcastle’s final third but is abruptly stripped of possession. It’s tough for the hosts right now.
2 min: De Bruyne sprays an outside-of-the-boot pass towards Mendy on the left touchline. Glorious ... or nearly glorious. Mendy can’t quite keep it in play. Had he done so, he’d have been haring off into acres of space.
And we’re off! Newcastle get the ball rolling on a cold day in the north. The ball’s launched long. Saint-Maximin can’t get on the end of it, and City are in possession almost immediately. A long ball for Mahrez, but he’s offside. The clock ticks past 24 seconds without a goal being scored this time.
Howay the lads / here come the teams. Newcastle are in their famous black and white stripes, while City sport their equally storied sky blue. Everyone very pretty. A quick blast of the theme to the greatest movie ever made (hey, it’s St Andrew’s Day after all) and we’ll be off in a minute.
A relaxed and cheery Pep Guardiola speaks to BT Sport. “Everyone remembers last season!” he laughs. “You have to remember the days we won! The year before we won 1-0, last year we lost, so... it’s a mythic English stadium with history. We know it.” As for the continued absence of Sergio Aguero, will Gabriel Jesus step up to the plate? “Sure. He will be judged for the goals, but we know him, it’s three seasons we’ve had together, we don’t have any doubt about him.”
Pre-match pint, anyone? We can nip across the road to The Strawberry. There’s time.
Steve Bruce speaks, ahead of his very first encounter with a Pep Guardiola team. “It’s quite remarkable what Manchester City have done,” he tells BT Sport. “At the head of it, Pep is someone we all strive to be. We played very well at West Ham and against Bournemouth at home, and we were a touch disappointed with how we played against Aston Villa. But we’re at home, and our home form, very quietly, has stacked up. So let’s hope we can play well on the day. We’re going to have to. And defend well, against one of the great teams. A lot’s been said about our investing a lot of money in our top three. But they are young, and coming to terms with playing in England. I’m sure they’ll turn it round. But for me it’s all about the team, so whoever scores, great if a defender scores. But there are times you want your strikers to take an opportunity, so let’s hope today is one of those days.”
Newcastle make just the one change to the XI named for the 2-0 loss at Aston Villa last Monday. DeAndre Yedlin succumbs to a hip injury and is replaced by Javier Manquillo.
Manchester City swap five players out of the team that drew 1-1 with Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday evening. Angelino, Nicolas Otamendi, Joao Cancelo, Rodri and Bernardo Silva drop to the bench, to be replaced by Kyle Walker, John Stones, Benjamin Mendy, David Silva and Riyad Mahrez.
The teams
Newcastle United: Dubravka, Manquillo, Fernandez, Clark, Dummett, Willems, Almiron, Shelvey, Hayden, Saint-Maximin, Joelinton.
Subs: Schar, Gayle, Krafth, Darlow, Atsu, Sean Longstaff, Matthew Longstaff.
Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Fernandinho, Mendy, De Bruyne, Gundogan, Silva, Mahrez, Gabriel Jesus, Sterling.
Subs: Bravo, Jose Angelino, Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Joao Cancelo, Otamendi, Foden.
Referee: Chris Kavanagh (Lancashire).
Preamble
Welcome to the rerun of the 1955 FA Cup and 1976 League Cup finals. That’s what this is all about, kids, yes?
There is the small matter of the corresponding fixture last season, of course. Newcastle conceded a goal after just 24 seconds, yet bounced back in the second half to register a surprise 2-1 victory that nearly cost City the title. Nearly. Nearly ... but not quite.
Just like last time, City are strong favourites to take away all three points from St James’ Park. You’d expect the reigning treble champions to swat aside a team for whom mid-table safety is the long and short of it. But you never know in football. Newcastle’s form has been decent enough since being spanked 5-0 at Leicester: wins over Manchester United, West Ham and Bournemouth, plus a close defeat at Chelsea. City aren’t quite their imperious best at the minute, either, having only won one of their last four in all competitions. Most strange.
So can City close the gap on the leaders Liverpool? Or will Newcastle shock them again? We’ll see what develops soon enough. Just give it a bit longer than 24 seconds. It’s on!
Kick off: 12.30pm GMT.
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