TNT Sports have no time left for Pep, but they’ve already chatted to De Bruyne and Bobb, so all’s good. Louise Taylor’s report is in, and here it is. Thanks for reading this MBM. A deflated Eddie Howe speaks to TNT. “It’s difficult … a difficult second half … we were a real threat in the game … the end of the game was really painful … we had chances … we scored two and potentially could have scored more … the quality told in the end … the substitution of De Bruyne, a world-class player … he scored one and assisted one and made the difference … we’ve just got to continue in the same vain of today … there’s not a lot wrong with our performances, we’re just not putting it together for the whole 90 minutes … today we were a top team in moments and phases but to win games you need to do it for the whole game, and we weren’t able physically today … collectively we have to stick together … we need to learn lessons from this defeat.” The brilliant Kevin De Bruyne talks to TNT. “It was crazy … I missed this … it was more willpower than anything else … I’m not able to do that for 90 minutes at the moment … I can put in a shift for 20-25 minutes at full pace … I feel it in my lungs with the cold … it can’t be any better than this, can it? … the ball was good but the run from Oscar was amazing … the control at pace and going around the keeper … we want to try to compete again for the league … I’m happy to be back and compete.” The goalscoring hero Oscar Bobb speaks to TNT. “It’s an amazing feeling … the manager told me, go on and score … thankfully I could … it’s a lifelong dream … to do it with the best team in the world, I can’t explain it … I said thank you to Kevin De Bruyne [for the assist] afterwards … he’s the only one in the world who can do that … to get to play with him is great … not only one of the greatest players in the Premier League, he’s also a very nice guy … helps the young lads a lot … just having him back, he’s one of our captains, so he definitely strengthens the team.” 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. 28 min: Trippier gives the referee the what-for. He’s convinced there should have been a foul awarded to Newcastle 54 seconds before the goal. Dias certainly stuck his arm across Gordon and helped him out of play with a strong shoulder, but the Newcastle striker was definitely looking to draw the foul. There will be debate. GOAL! Newcastle United 0-1 Manchester City (Silva 26) Newcastle are narked, but City play on. And how they punish the hosts. Doku, on the left, sprays a pass to Walker on the right. Walker crosses low. Silva, on the right-hand edge of the six-yard box, flicks the ball with the back of his heel across Dubravka and into the bottom left. That. Is. Exquisite. 25 min: Gordon decides to take on Dias in a footrace along the left touchline. Dias comes across him and shepherds Gordon out of play. Newcastle want a free kick at the very least; the referee doesn’t see anything wrong with the challenge and awards City a throw. Eddie Howe is not happy. Neither are the fans. 23 min: City are utterly dominant now. They’re not in the mood to give the ball back. Newcastle are chasing shadows, which may explain the aforementioned burst of frustration from Guimaraes. 21 min: Guimaraes comes sliding in recklessly on Kovacic. Late enough to warrant a booking. He’ll need to curb his natural aggressive instincts now. 19 min: Foden sashays across the face of the Newcastle box, right to left, and feeds Doku, whose shot towards the bottom left is deflected out for another corner. The set piece is played back to Walker, who drags a dismal effort wide left. City look dangerous every time they go forward, like that’s some sort of breaking news. 18 min: This game is open to a silly degree, and a lot of fun as a result. Foden rolls a pass down the right for Alvarez, who hammers a shot goalwards. Blocked. Cleared. 17 min: Newcastle having nearly scored up one end, City go close up the other. Doku scampers into the box from the left. His low cross is miscontroled by Kovacic, the ball breaking to Silva, who uncharacteristically blazes wildly over from 12 yards. 16 min: Newcastle are enjoying themselves down this right flank, though. Trippier again finds Almiron, who is free and onside this time. Almiron crosses low for Isak, who flips wide left under pressure from Dias. 15 min: Trippier shovels a pass down the right to release Almiron into acres. This time the flag goes up on a hair trigger. 14 min: Alvarez’s corner isn’t up to much, and Newcastle clear their lines, Guimaraes purchasing a cheap free kick from Gvardiol. Pressure released. 13 min: Rodri moves through the gears and attempts to dribble his way into the Newcastle box down the inside-right channel. Schar comes across to clear. But Isak can’t hold the ball up and City are soon coming back at the hosts. Gvardiol slips Foden into space down the left; he earns the first corner of the night. 12 min: … so having said that, City immediately enjoy their first period of sustained possession in the Newcastle half. Pass and probe, it’s what they do. 11 min: City look a little unsure in the wake of Ederson’s unscheduled early departure, understandably so. Newcastle are enjoying the lion’s share of possession during these early exchanges. 9 min: That was a very surreal start to the game. A goal correctly disallowed for offside. An accidental injury to City’s keeper. A mistake, and a gilt-edged to score spurned. All of the stoppages took up five minutes, so expect a big chunk of time added to the end of the half. 7 min: Ederson clearly isn’t OK, and that mistake was the cue to go back down. The knee’s giving him proper gyp. He walks off, which is good to see, but goes straight down the tunnel. Ortega comes on in his place. 5 min: … but get back up he does. And immediately whiffs a clearance, straight to Almiron! Newcastle should take advantage, but Almiron, Guimaraes and Gordon conspire to over-think things, take fresh-air swipes at the ball, and mess it up! This is a fiasco. 4 min: There’s been a VAR check for the offside, and the decision was correct. But late, and the fact play continued needlessly means Ederson has taken a whack for no reason. He’s taking some time to get back up. 3 min: Ederson took a clatter there, and he stays down. Longstaff caught him on the follow-through while smashing that low cross home. The covering Walker may have made contact too. On comes the physio. 2 min: Newcastle have the ball in the net. Trippier launches long down the inside-right channel. Isak squares for Longstaff, who forces the ball past Ederson and into the net. But the flag immediately goes up for offside. 1 min: Ederson passes out from the back with absurd levels of confidence. Did he just nutmeg Isak? Dear me! Manchester City get the ball rolling. They’re kicking towards the Gallowgate in this first half. There’s still time for some pre-match nerves, though. “I have a feeling it might be more peak Rafa Benitez Cynical Containment than the usual Eddie Howe Pressing Bonanza tonight,” worries Chris Paraskevas. “Surely we’re not in a headspace or physical place to go toe-to-toe with Pep And Co. for 90 minutes +10-15 minutes injury time? I know we’re a different beast at home but it’s not as though we magically have returned to our best after the derby win.” The teams are out! Newcastle United in their storied black and white stripes, Manchester City in their famous sky blue. Everyone looking real fine. It’s cold, but at least there’s no rain. We’ll be off after a quick chorus of Blaydon Races and a heartwarming blast of Local Hero. Chelsea’s early 1-0 win over Fulham means Newcastle have slipped to tenth place in the Premier League. They can clamber up to seventh with all three points this evening. Victory for Manchester City will take them into second spot and within striking distance of the leaders Liverpool, as they look to land an unprecedented fourth English title in a row. Eddie Howe’s turn for a chat with TNT. “It will be a very difficult one against City … it’s difficult to know how they will play, always guessing to a degree … we just need to get our part right and deliver a really high-level game … [Joelinton’s absence means] we lose a bit of physicality, drive and steel in midfield … he chips in with vital goals so will be a miss for us … we’ve enjoyed the week … there’s been a good vibe around the city … we’re happy with our preparation … out of possession we have to be very good … there can’t be big spaces because they’ll kill you … our attacking players have to function … [the win at Sunderland] was much more like ourselves … hopefully that’s given us a real lift … if we find our best form we will pick up enough points to have a good season … we have to be progressive and attack the match.” Pep Guardiola talks to TNT Sports. “It was an option [to start with Kevin De Bruyne] … I thought about it … he was five months injured, basically … it’s a lot of time and this is a tough place to come … I prefer not to play 90 minutes with Kevin … Newcastle’s transition is so fast … maybe we will struggle because they are really, really good … of course we miss Erling [Haaland] … Julian [Alvarez] is really good … the scouting department did a really good job to bring him here … [City’s league position] could be better, it could be worse … you are in the position you deserve to be … one step at a time.” He’s also asked if City have any big plans for this transfer window. “I don’t think so.” Both teams make two changes to their previous Premier League starting XIs. After the 4-2 defeat at Liverpool, Newcastle replace the stricken Joelinton and Tino Livramento with Miguel Almiron and Kieran Trippier. Manchester City follow their 2-0 win over Sheffield United by calling up Ruben Dias and Jeremy Doku for the injured Manuel Akanji and ill Jack Grealish. The teams Newcastle United: Dubravka, Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn, Longstaff, Bruno Guimaraes, Miley, Almiron, Isak, Gordon. Subs: Dummett, Lascelles, Ritchie, Krafth, Karius, Hall, Gillespie, Alex Murphy, Parkinson. Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Dias, Ake, Gvardiol, Kovacic, Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Foden, Doku, Alvarez. Subs: Phillips, Grealish, De Bruyne, Ortega, Gomez, Matheus Luiz, Bobb, Susoho, Lewis. Referee: Chris Kavanagh (Lancashire). Preamble Manchester City’s title push starts here, then … … and where better to start it than St James’ Park? They’ve only lost one of their last 32 Premier League matches against Newcastle United, you see, a 2-1 reverse in 2019 the only blemish on a record that stretches back to 2005. They’ve scored in 30 consecutive Premier League games against the Toon, a sequence they fancy lengthening tonight, given they’d have won their last eight games straight had Phil Foden not hung out a tired leg during the closing stages of a 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace just before Christmas. It’s already beginning to look ominous for Liverpool, Aston Villa, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur. The new world champions are on one. Newcastle by contrast are very much off it. Their last nine games have been little short of disastrous. Six defeats in all competitions. Cashiered ineptly from both Champions League and League Cup. Comprehensive losses to Everton, Spurs, Nottingham Forest and Liverpool. Thank goodness for Sunderland, eh, who provided some much-needed succour in the FA Cup last weekend. Newcastle will also draw inspiration from their deserved victory over City in the League Cup back in September; another result like that would extricate them from the sticky patch that’s seem them tumble down the table to tenth. So while City go into this game as strong favourites, the Toon aren’t completely without hope. Kick off is at 5.30pm. It’s on!