"Finally, the real Newcastle United stood up. In what has been the worst start to a Premier League season under Eddie Howe, something had been missing for far too long. When the mighty Manchester City parked up at St James' Park on Saturday, the locals were restless. Successive Premier League away defeats to West Ham and Brentford prior to the international break soured the mood on Tyneside, despite Newcastle winning six of their previous nine games in all competitions."
"Serious questions were being asked as they sat 14th in the table, just two points above the relegation zone. It felt like a game to be endured, rather than enjoyed. You may like Lewis Hall returned to Newcastle's starting XI for the visit of Pep Guardiola's side (Image credit: Getty Images) But at home, they've always been a different animal, and two names on the team-sheet instantly gave the home fans a shot of confidence prior to kick off."
"I'm very happy to be back playing, Livramento said afterwards. It is a great result for the team and the city, the fans have been waiting for our season to kickstart. We worked really hard with three or four tough sessions this week, working on things the manager thought we weren't doing in games. The international break really helped us fix a few things and then the internationals came back to add to the quality we have; there wasn't much change coming into the game."
Newcastle produced a 2-1 victory over Manchester City at St James' Park, ending a worrying run of form. The team had suffered successive away defeats to West Ham and Brentford and sat 14th, two points above the relegation zone, before the match. Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento returned to the starting XI at full-back and provided defensive stability and attacking impetus. Hall had recovered from a broken foot and a hamstring issue, while Livramento was returning from a knee injury. Eddie Howe's side worked on tactical fixes during the international break and capitalized on renewed squad quality to secure the win.
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