Key events
Manchester City cavort! Proper scenes of celebration. Pep Guardiola is pumped. They know how important those extra two points could be come the end of the season! Newcastle scored two excellent goals, but City scored three. The hosts ran out of energy towards the end of the game, the champions passed and pressed, and the substitutes Kevin De Bruyne and Oscar Bobb took advantage. Elegantly so. That’s a huge win for City, who move into second place, their title charge beginning … three, two, one … right about now.
Oh, and Matthew Guite (50 mins) called it pretty much spot on, didn’t he?
FULL TIME: Newcastle United 2-3 Manchester City
Oscar Bobb gets the job done!
90 min +2: Almiron tries to scissor a loose ball goalwards, but he can’t connect. He claims a handball but more out of desperation than anything else.
GOAL! Newcastle United 2-3 Manchester City (Bobb 90+1)
The champions have snatched it at the death! De Bruyne wedges a pass down the inside-left channel. Bobb brings it down, sashays past a lunging Trippier, sells Dubravka a dummy, and rolls into the net from six yards! Yet another outstanding finish!
90 min: There will be just three added minutes. The announcement gives the home fans a brief lift. However …
89 min: Rodri races the best part of 80 yards upfield. He finds Gvardiol, whose slight hesitation allows Trippier to put a stop to City’s gallop on the edge of the box.
87 min: The tension all around St James’ Park is palpable. City are press, press, pressing for the winner. Newcastle so desperate to hang on for a precious point. The home side running on fumes, however.
86 min: Gordon is replaced by Lewis Hall. Schar loops a pass down the right for Miley, who is eventually flagged offside. That was tight. “Dear Matt Dony,” replies Jeff Sax. “Love is blind!”
85 min: A looping ball nearly catches Dubravka out. He tips over his bar. Another corner. Newcastle deal with it. Just. They continue to hang on.
84 min: Rodri dances his way down the middle, ball glued to his boot. He enters the box and fizzes a shot towards the bottom right. Dubravka does extremely well to palm out for a corner, from which nothing comes. City are really pressing for a priceless winner.
83 min: Doku makes way for the young Norwegian attacker Oscar Bobb. “Look away, Sax,” begins Matt Dony. “Gordon’s goal was also Darwin-esque. Although, in fairness, Gordon wasn’t making up for one of the worst touches in the history of professional football. Man, I love Nunez!”
82 min: Some pinball in the Newcastle box. Schar is forced to hack clear in a panic. The home side hanging on.
80 min: Foden tries to score from the halfway line. He doesn’t catch it properly, which is just as well for Dubravka, who was well out of position.
79 min: Gordon’s shot is deflected wide right for a rare Newcastle corner. Trippier to take. Nothing comes of it, but at least it’s a moment of respite for the home defence.
78 min: Gordon attempts to release Isak into space down the right. A decent pass, but Isak looks completely out of juice. He can’t haul his heavy legs across to take up possession.
77 min: Foden and De Bruyne combine crisply down the right. The latter crosses. Burn heads clear. Newcastle can’t get out.
75 min: That had been coming, it’s fair to say. And what a cool, measured finish by De Bruyne. He’s back, baby.
GOAL! Newcastle United 2-2 Manchester City (De Bruyne 74)
Rodri pings a pass down the inside-right channel for De Bruyne, who strides upfield, drifts into the middle, and passes a shot from the edge of the D through Schar’s legs and into the bottom left. Simple as that! Another world-class goal!
73 min: Rodri’s right-wing cross brushes Longstaff and flies out of play. Newcastle get the ball back, though. Rodri is fuming at the officials’ mistake. But no matter, because City soon come back at Newcastle, and …
72 min: City continue to press forward. Now it’s Foden’s turn to swing wildly at a good chance, shanking a shot from the right-hand edge of the six-yard box across goal and away.
70 min: Nope. He blooters it witlessly into the wall. Most unlike him. The ball breaks to Doku on the left. A cross into the mixer. It drops to Alvarez, alone on the penalty spot! He leans back and flays a dismal effort way over the bar. He should have hit the target at the very least. He almost certainly should have scored.
69 min: Rodri is skittled by Longstaff, just to the right of the Newcastle D. Before the free kick is taken, Silva is replaced by De Bruyne. The returning hero’s going to take it! A goal with his first touch?!
68 min: Kovacic takes a shot from distance. The ball takes a huge deflection off Schar, but Dubravka hasn’t committed himself, and is able to adjust and stop an effort that’s headed for the bottom-right corner.
67 min: Gordon sends Burn scampering into space down the left. Burn crosses low for Isak, who opens his body and tries to steer a shot past Ortega. The City stand-in keeper does exceptionally well to spread himself and block the shot. That was Newcastle’s best move of the second half.
66 min: Another Doku run, another corner on the left … and some more over-elaboration that allows Newcastle to clear their lines.
64 min: Alvarez takes a snapshot from the edge of the Toon box. Straight at Dubravka, who nevertheless parries well. “Silva’s finish should be a Zola, no?” wonders Matthew Lysaght. “Kanu did it in the late 1990s at Boro,” adds Aristos Galatopoulos. “A Nwankwo?”
62 min: Guimaraes has his pocket picked in midfield by Rodri. City stream forward. Walker is sent steaming into the box down the right. He cuts back in the hope of finding Foden, who can’t force home from close range because Guimaraes has got back to make good his initial mistake. He blocks, then bravely takes a hit from Rodri in the middle of a scramble. A free kick means the danger is over.
60 min: Doku’s mere presence earns City a corner down the left. Alvarez takes. City tiki-taka a while. They win a corner on the right. It’s pulled back for Foden, who doesn’t faff around this time, skelping a shot high over the bar.
58 min: Foden has a speculative whack from the edge of the box. Straight at Dubravka, who claims without fuss.
57 min: Silva crosses from the right. Gvardiol competes at the far stick, only to be out-jumped by the smaller Trippier. “The name for Silva’s finish is a ‘Darwin’, clearly,” argues Trevor Byrne. “The Lord of Chaos has scored two for Liverpool already.” I hope you realise this sort of chat might give poor Jeff Sax an aneurysm.
55 min: Schar advances down the left and is brought down by Silva’s hanging leg. He goes into the book. Neither player nor manager are happy with that decision in the wake of the Burn challenge, which is fair enough, but in and of itself, Silva’s tackle deserved censure. Burn should be in the book as well, of course.
54 min: Guimaraes bursts down the right and whips a low cross into the mixer. Longstaff attempts to replicate Silva’s first-half finish but only proves the City midfielder made it look much easier a skill than it actually is.
52 min: Rodri drives down the middle and is fairly crudely checked by Burn. Just a free kick, though you’ve seen yellow cards given for much, much less. Alvarez takes, and sends a fine effort towards the top-right corner. Dubravka meets it with a save to match.
50 min: Burn hoicks the corner clear. “The biggest issue now is the difference in the benches,” begins Matthew Guite. “Newcastle have nothing that would make a difference. Man City on the other hand … cue 70 minutes. We need to score again.”
49 min: Walker makes good down the right and earns a corner. It’s been all City since the restart.
47 min: Some early second-half possession for City. Doku probes down the left. Trippier clears. The ball clips Almiron’s arm. A half-hearted claim for a penalty. VAR takes it more seriously, but eventually waves play on.
Newcastle get the second half underway. They’re facing the Gallowgate this time. No changes. No Kevin De Bruyne yet.
Half-time postbag. “This match, and Newcastle’s season so far, is very strangely similar to Liverpool’s previous season. Their whole squad looks knackered, infested with injury blows left right and centre, but their spirit and St James’ atmosphere still gets them over the line in big matches. Today’s result will tell whether they have it to go on a run like Liverpool in the end of previous season and get European football or not. For a neutral, it’s another visual spectacle presented in the Premier League” – Rupak Pramanik
“Good stuff, obviously, and lots of lovely goals. Alexander Isak … you’d hope that Mikel Arteta is watching, having got back from embarrassing himself and mortifying anyone who cares about Arsenal Football Club, food, or good taste, by allowing himself to be filmed anywhere near the egregious Salt Bae” – Charles Antaki
“I think that type of flick finish needs a name, like a Panenka or a Cruyff turn. A (Lee) Sharpie? Silva? Maybe the punters can help” – Paul Bellsham
“Kyle Walker beaten twice. Result: two goals. With a defence like that, Manchester City will not be league champions” – Jeff Sax
Half-time entertainment. Africa Cup of Nations ahoy!
HALF TIME: Newcastle United 2-1 Manchester City
Three world-class goals in a half of two halves. What a game of football!
45 min +7: Doku works his way down the left and wins a corner. Can City strike back just before the break? Nope. Dubravka comes out, punches the ball weakly into Botman, then flops on it. He hurt his nose during that stunt, which was executed in the silent-movie slapstick style.
45 min +6: Almiron has a chance to release Gordon down the middle. He hesitates fatally. Had he played the ball in time, Gordon was free on goal. As it is, when he finally gets round to it, Gordon is offside and Dias intercepts anyway.
45 min +4: Guimaraes stands on Rodri’s toe. He wants to be careful, already on a booking. No foul, and so Rodri gets up and delivers some cold retribution. Into the book he goes. He chunters on at the referee for some time afterwards as well. He also wants to be careful. This is such good fun.
45 min +2: Almiron crosses from the right. Isak can’t get a header goalwards, 12 yards out. City clear.
45 min +1: The first of eight additional first-half minutes sees Almiron dribble down the right and enter the box, only to be dispossessed by Gvardiol’s perfectly timed intervention. A brief strangulated claim for a penalty, but no no no.
45 min: On the touchline, Pep Guardiola is pictured hanging his head. He must wonder what on earth’s happened here. His team were one up and playing some majestic football. Then: bam, bam. Newcastle could have had more, as well. What a wonderfully weird game.
44 min: … and now Almiron chases after a looping ball down the right. He draws Ortega but his chip over the keeper bounces harmlessly wide left. Then the flag goes up, correctly, for offside.
43 min: Trippier intercepts a very careless Dias pass out on the Newcastle right. Trippier strides forward and whistles a low cross along the corridor of uncertainty. Isak isn’t on the front foot, and so can’t force home. What an inviting ball that was.
41 min: This is astonishing. Newcastle are now ripping City open on the break again and again! Almiron rakes a pass down the right to release Isak, who races ahead of Dias and bashes a shot straight at Ortega! Newcastle come again, Isak winning a corner with a run down the right. Nothing comes of that corner. This is breathless stuff. Breathless.
40 min: Two minutes and 18 seconds elapsed between the two Newcastle goals, by the way. City had them on the rack, but now look! Association football, ladies and gentlemen.
39 min: Doku sets about trying to haul City level, dribbling with balletic grace down the inside-left channel, only to be denied a shooting chance by Botman’s perfectly timed challenge just inside the box. Nothing comes of the resulting corner.
GOAL! Newcastle United 2-1 Manchester City (Gordon 37)
Gordon picks the ball up on the left touchline. He strolls infield, faces Walker, uses the defender as a shield, and from the left-hand corner of the box curls an absurd shot across Ortega and into the top right! What a double whammy! Two outrageous goals to cancel out an outrageous goal! What a game!
36 min: Props to Gordon, incidentally, for making a dummy run down the left to ensure Walker couldn’t fully concentrate on Isak. City respond through Gvardiol, who shoots from the edge of the box. Blocked. Newcastle break, and …
GOAL! Newcastle United 1-1 Manchester City (Isak 35)
City had been dominant, but Newcastle are level! Guimaraes, quarterbacking from deep, plays a sensational first-time pass down the middle to release Isak. Walker tries to stand him up. Isak chops in from the left and curls an unstoppable effort across Ortega and into the top right! What a strike that is!
34 min: Burn slips and gifts the ball to Foden, who eats up the ground before slipping Alvarez into the box on the right. Alvarez shoots low. Dubravka makes a meal of turning the ball around the post. Nothing comes of the corner.
33 min: Ortega is closed down by Isak. The ball loops to Almiron, who heads back down the inside-right channel for Isak, whose shot is deflected out for a corner. Newcastle then waste the set piece, playing it short with the box packed full of tall team-mates.
31 min: Almiron bursts into the City box from the right and looks for Isak at the near post. He’d have been better looping for Gordon a bit further on. Dias clear. That’s better from Newcastle, and it gets the crowd making noises other than frustrated groans.
29 min: Newcastle are rocking. First up, Foden sends a shot wide right from 12 yards. Then Silva meets a cutback by Alvarez on the left, hitting a first-time rising screamer towards the top right. Dubravka tips onto the bar and away. Finally Gvardiol chances his arm from the edge of the box. Wide! High! City are hammering at the door in search of a short-order second.
