"It is very hard to argue that Eddie Howe is not an elite coach but, until this watershed win, his record against Pep Guardiola was pretty dismal. In 18 Premier League matches against Manchester City, with Bournemouth and Newcastle, Howe had lost 16 and drawn two. Given his chameleon side often excellent in Europe, frequently underwhelming in the league this term kicked off just above the relegation zone, Newcastle's manager must have been suitably relieved"
"With Haaland clean through, St James' Park waited for the Norwegian to round Nick Pope but, for once, his robotic reliability in front of goal vanished and he made an absolute hash of an attempt to lift the ball over the goalkeeper. Shortly afterwards the growing nervousness among home fans nearly turned to celebration as Nick Woltemade rose to meet a looping delivery from the impressive Tino Livramento but his header was kept out by a stunning save from Gianluigi Donnarumma."
Newcastle were 15th in the Premier League at kick-off but rose to high spirits by the end of an absorbing evening. Eddie Howe had a poor prior league record against Pep Guardiola, having lost 16 and drawn two of 18 matches. Erling Haaland squandered a clear early chance when he failed to round Nick Pope. Nick Woltemade's header was tipped over by Gianluigi Donnarumma, who also saved another close-range effort. Guardiola's side had a VAR review for a Phil Foden challenge but the decision stood. Malick Thiaw was cleared of handball on a Jeremy Doku shot. Newcastle played better than in recent weeks.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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