EPL: Barnes' Double Shakes Man City as Newcastle Triumph

Newcastle dented Manchester City’sPremier League title aspirations were highlighted on Saturday, as Harvey Barnes scored twice to secure a d...

Newcastle dented Manchester City’sPremier League title aspirations were highlighted on Saturday, as Harvey Barnes scored twice to secure a disputed 2-1 win at St James’ Park.

The city went behind after Barnes scored in the second half, but Ruben Dias equalized. However, just moments after the goal, Barnes netted again—this time concluding a play that endured an extended VAR review for a potential offside involving Bruno Guimaraes.

Pep Guardiola had several issues to raise, particularly a first-half penalty decision when Phil Foden seemed to be fouled inside the box. The referee dismissed the claim, causing frustration among the City substitutes.

City's fourth loss in the league this season has placed the champions in third position, four points behind leaders Arsenal, who will play against Tottenham on Sunday. Guardiola had previously stated during the week that it was premature to discuss the title race, but failing to reduce the gap will be disappointing.

The city team began the international break on a positive note following a strong 3-0 victory against struggling champions Liverpool, marking their seventh win in eight games across all competitions.

However, that momentum disappeared in Tyneside, where a poorly executed performance and an unusually quiet display from Erling Haaland led to their downfall. The Norwegian forward remained without a goal for the third time in 21 matches for both his club and country this season.

Haaland aimed to reach his 100th league goal in his 109th game since joining from Borussia Dortmund in 2022.

However, he squandered multiple opportunities, and Newcastle capitalized on them to defeat City, marking only the second time in their last 36 league encounters.

Eddie Howe's first victory against City in 19 top-tier matches helped alleviate the disappointment of Newcastle's consecutive league losses to West Ham and Brentford prior to the international break.

Newcastle almost took the lead within 30 seconds when City's goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma made a terrible pass that was stolen by Barnes, but the winger squandered the opportunity by shooting directly at the Italian from 10 yards.

Haaland was also responsible for a similarly poor chance shortly after, miscalculating his effort to chip over Nick Pope when the Newcastle goalkeeper rushed out of his box in response to Jeremy Doku's pass.

Newcastle were prevented from scoring the first goal by Donnarumma, who brilliantly stopped Nick Woltemade's header following Tino Livramento's cross.

Foden took a wide shot from a promising spot inside the box, then futilely requested a penalty after Fabian Schar brought him down with a harsh challenge that left him in agony during the same play.

Foden and City's coaching team were angry about the call, their irritation growing when Jacob Murphy escaped a penalty after blocking Doku's shot with his arm.

Donnarumma secured another victory over Woltemade by stopping the German's shot after he broke through into the penalty area.

In a half of poor finishing, Barnes was responsible for the worst moment when he managed to shoot wide from close range with the goal within his reach.

Even Haaland missed the target, directing Nico O’Reilly's cross straight toward Pope from five yards.

Interestingly, the unmarked Foden had a worse attempt, sending the ball wide following Rayan Cherki's pass just before halftime.

The city was finally relieved as Barnes corrected his previous misses with a great finish in the 64th minute, striking a low shot past Donnarumma from the edge of the box following Guimaraes' run and pass that opened up the defense.

Guardiola's team was behind for only four minutes.

Bernardo Silva's shot was deflected toward Dias, and the Portuguese defender's strong 12-yard effort bounced in off Schar.

However, Dias's first league goal since he netted against Newcastle four years prior triggered an immediate reaction from Howe's team.

As Woltemade directed his header across the penalty area, Guimaraes' attempt struck the crossbar, and the rebound was conveniently placed for Barnes to volley into the goal.

A prolonged VAR check regarding a potential offside against Guimaraes initially seemed to offer hope for City, but the final call favored Newcastle, leading to enthusiastic cheers from the home fans.

Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).