Manchester City dropped points in their second consecutive Premier League game in Saturday’s early kick off, spending much of the game playing second fiddle to an invigorated Newcastle side.
Despite taking the lead through Joško Gvardiol towards the end of the first half, this was a City side far from their best, Rodri’s absence was made abundantly clear. It was only a matter of time until Newcastle equalised, doing so through Anthony Gordon’s penalty in the second half. In many ways, they’ll wish they could’ve got more.
As it happened
Once more, it’s a case of no Rodri for Manchester City. A man who hasn’t lost a Premier League game in his last 52 appearances in the competition; a man who has been utterly vital for all Manchester City’s success since 2021. This the first test to see how they’d cope without him in the long run, an anterior cruciate ligament injury keeping him out for the rest of the season at least. For the next eight months, they risk becoming a wheel without its lynchpin.
So, all the questions were about how they’d perform without him. They responded well in their opening four games without him, but the difference is then his return was on the horizon. Now, it’s nowhere to be seen.
It wasn’t only Rodri out of action, either. Kevin De Bruyne didn’t make even the bench with his own knock, while for Newcastle United’s part, they were without their chief goal-threat Alexander Isak, himself out with a toe injury.
In ways no one quite expected, it was actually the home side whose injury cost them most. Anthony Gordon was deputised in his place, an extremely talented footballer no doubt but not a number nine. Had they had a target in the area, The Magpies may well have found more joy: crosses came and went, particularly from Jacob Murphy, but a target in the middle was nowhere to be seen.
Embed from Getty ImagesTo make matters more frustrating for Newcastle, this was not Manchester City at their best. Without Rodri, they were disjointed. While in most games, their passing feels meticulously architected with every last detail in mind, today their interplay was more haphazard; more pass and hope than pass and expect.
Another surprise: Ilkay Gündoğan was particularly wasteful. He attempted five crosses in the first half, none of which finding their target. He lost the ball on nine separate occasions. This didn’t look like the player who led City to the treble, nor the man who created the most chances in La Liga last season: this looked like a man finding his feet.
City didn’t exactly ride their luck, though. The hosts were very good at targeting Joško Gvardiol down their right-hand side and they did put some terrific crosses in: but none yielded the potence necessary to truly trouble the side which has won the last four league titles. It wasn’t until the very end of the first half that Ederson was forced into his first save, reacting in a flash to meet a venomous Joelinton volley.
As often happens when that’s the case, the inevitable result is a Manchester City goal. They were not perfect – far from it – but give them an inch and they’ll take a mile.
It came down the same side Newcastle themselves had been targeting. Jack Grealish taking on Kieran Trippier and beating him, finding Gvardiol underlapping into the area, and the Croatian international cutting past Dan Burn to slot a deft finish into the bottom right corner. Nick Pope, who’d had little to do by this point, was rooted to the spot, and City led on 35 minutes.
Embed from Getty ImagesBut there was to be trouble for the champions. After a first half of creating half chances, Newcastle were able to give themselves the chance in football; one from the spot.
Picking up the ball in the middle of the park in the 56th minute, Bruno Guimarães looked up and spotted Anthony Gordon racing in behind. One ball was all he needed to find him, Kyle Walker on the nearside of the pitch playing him onside.
Latching onto the pass, the makeshift striker had only green grass and Ederson between himself and an equaliser. The Brazilian rushed out to meet him, but overzealously; Gordon tried to take it around him, Ederson taking him down in the process. Newcastle had a penalty, their best chance to finally breach the City goal.
Up stepped the man who won it. Anthony Gordon, looking to keep Newcastle’s record of scoring in 21 consecutive home games alive, and doing so with aplomb. He went left, Ederson went right and Newcastle levelled up the score, City the architects of their own downfall.
Embed from Getty ImagesFollowing that goal, Eddie Howe’s side were well on top. Manchester City, unusually, did not have a hold of the game at all. It was Harvey Barnes particularly guilty of missing the next couple of chances at the end of Newcastle dominance, first trying to dink the ball over an expectant Ederson, the next snatching at a volley entirely unmarked. This was worrying for the visitors: this is not what they’re used to. This did not resemble a Pep Guardiola team.
For a bit, at least. After five minutes of flurried Newcastle attacks, things resembled business as usual. The home side sat, City played round the area, patiently waiting and hoping for a break, a slice of good fortune – but all it could yield was a snapshot from Phil Foden hit down the throat of Nick Pope and a header from Erling Haaland blazed wite of the post.
It wasn’t his day, either. The Norwegian failed to score for the first time in this Premier League season, his chances limited to the speculative and wayward.
The irony, then, is that the best chance to win the game didn’t come from a Manchester City player. Murphy took the ball down Newcastle’s right-hand side as he’d been doing all game before finding substitute Sean Longstaff in the centre with all kinds of space. He didn’t waste time taking a touch, instead slicing the ball mere inches wide of Ederson’s far post.
Embed from Getty ImagesFrom there, chances were speculative: a pair of volleys, Mateo Kovačić first blasting a hopeful shot wide and Bernardo Silva smashing an effort towards the top corner, where Pope was waiting to meet it.
Nothing gave, though. Pep Guardiola’s side have dropped points for the second game in a row, Eddie Howe’s again failing to beat today’s opponents in a league match. They haven’t done that since the days of Rafa Benítez.
This is a worry for City. They haven’t had things all their own way as of late. They’ve failed to win three of their last four games in all competitions, with Watford the only exception. Rodri’s absence was felt, as was De Bruyne’s. How they’ll adapt is no clearer now than it was before a ball was kicked.
It’s a good result for Newcastle, though. They weren’t playing City at their brilliant best, but a point against the champions is always a hugely valuable point. They’re still sitting pretty towards the top of the table rubbing shoulders with the big boys again.
One thing is evident, though: this Premier League season may be the most open for some time. That can only be a good thing.
The lineups
NEW: Pope; Hall, Burn, Schär, Tripper; Joelinton, Guimarães, Tonali; Barnes, Gordon, Murphy
MCI: Ederson; Gvardiol, Akanji, Dias, Walker; Kovačić, Gündoğan, Lewis; Grealish, Haaland, Silva
