The Phil Foden resurgence continues as Manchester City punish Newcastle

Manchester City vs Newcastle United live: score and latest updates from the Premier League
Bernardo Silva came off the bench to score Manchester City's second Credit: Reueters/Carl Recine

By Ian Whittell at the Etihad Stadium

For a player attempting to recover from his self-diagnosed worst spell of his brief, but spectacular, career, Phil Foden has certainly compiled a stunning response over the last eight days. Three starts, four goals and a timely reminder of his prodigious talents.

Pep Guardiola’s opposite number across Manchester, Erik ten Hag, has rightly been lauded for his powers of man-management with United this season.

But, based on a small sample size this week, the City manager has done just as good a job in revitalising Foden as Ten Hag has done in helping Marcus Rashford rediscover his goalscoring touch.

“Phil has this special ability to have the ball, go up there, attack with the ball, without the ball,” said Guardiola.

“But when I spoke with Phil during the year, when he had the ball he was passing back, passing back. I said, ‘Phil you don’t have the confidence to do it.’

“I said, ‘What happened to you Phil is absolutely what might happen. Because you arrived at 17-years-old training with us, 10-15-20 minutes here and there. Then national team, World Cup, European Cup, wining titles; every year a little bit better, a little bit better.’

“The bad moment will come, like when he struggled with his ankle, but the important thing is to accept it, not blame others, Don’t blame opponents, or your manager, or the club, or your team-mates. Accept you can do better.

“Come back to your principles and step by step you will be back and now he’s scoring goals. What happened with Phil is completely, completely normal, just accept it. And I said to him, ‘The bad moments; these too shall pass.'”

Unfortunately, for Newcastle, they had certainly passed by the 15th minute when Foden collected a cross-field pass from Ilkay Gundogan well outside the area on 15 minutes.

As Kevin De Bruyne offered a decoy, running ahead of him, Foden slalomed towards goal, past Dan Burn, Anthony Gordon and Bruno Guimaraes. Sven Botman finally looked capable of stopping Foden but, as he slid in, could only deflect the City man’s shot past Nick Pope and into the Newcastle goal.

“It was a brilliant action by Phil,” added Guardiola. “He got a bit lucky with the deflection but he was aggressive like he always has been (in the past) and we have missed that a little bit this season.

“His aggression - ‘it doesn’t matter what happens, I go against you, I go against you!’ - and when that happens, a deflection is always going to go for your side.”

It was aggression which Newcastle’s forward line is chronically missing at present - one win and three goals from their last eight league games telling the story of a league campaign that is rapidly unravelling.

In the first half, Anthony Gordon and Callum Wilson effectively connected with nothing but thin air when a shot and goal was where the smart money was placed. And, for good measure, Joelinton repeated that crime in copy-cat fashion just a few moments before substitute Bernardo Silva doubled the City lead on 67 minutes.

An incisive run by Jack Grealish, brilliant lay-off by Erling Haaland and controlling touch by Silva, on the pitch for just two minutes, ended with the Portuguese thumping home an unstoppable shot.

Silva had been put on to help City keep possession more easily and his introduction was a stark reminder that, while ten Hag seems to have the Midas touch at present, Guardiola is hardly a tactical slouch, either. 

That tactical acumen seems likely to be tested as the City manager negotiates the falling output of Haaland, who missed his one glorious chance with an off-target header from De Bruyne’s first half cross.

Phil Foden of Manchester City celebrates after scoring their 1st goal during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Newcastle United at Etihad Stadium on March 4, 2023 in Manchester
Phil Foden recent resurgence continued against Newcastle Credit: Getty Images/Simon Stacpoole

The first nine games of the season saw Haaland score 16 of City’s 33 goals and the team pick up 23 points. The last nine, have seen the Norwegian score just six of his team’s 20 - 30 per cent of their output instead of nearly 50 - and City have amassed only 19 points in that span.

The lack of goal production is obvious although Haaland’s link-up play in this game was, arguably, as good as any he has produced all season - an optimistic sign as City face Crystal Palace in the league, Leipzig in the Champions League and Burnley in the FA Cup before the international break.

“These three games, each one in a different competition, will define our season,” said Guardiola. “They will define what we are able to do the rest of the season.”

Howe, one week on from losing the Carabao Cup Final to ten Hag, faces just as great a challenge if he is to inspire his team to re-discover early-season form and clinch a place in the Champions League although, at the Etihad at least, he liked the response he saw to the Wembley disappointment.

“For me, there was not even a doubt,” said Howe. “I think I’ve got a team full of warriors, really competitive players, desperate to win. It’s important for me as a manager to see that drive to win.

“We’re not going to sit back and take what’s happened in the game. We’re going to stand up for ourselves and each other.”


Manchester City vs Newcastle: as it happened

More from Howe

We're trying to be the team we want to be in every game. We haven't tried to change our approach because I don't think you learn from it and the scoreline probably becomes a heavier defeat. We want to be aggressive and progressive. Now there are still areas for us to improve in but I think our performance here today is really positive.

Newcastle's season going in the wrong direction

 Newcastle have lost their last three matches in all competitions, all 2-0 – the first time they’ve lost three in a row without scoring since January 2021 under Steve Bruce.

Howe pleased with Newcastle's performance levels

I thought we were well in the game today. A similar performance to last week, very dynamic in our play and aggressive. We were good with the ball and hurt them at times.

Bernardo Silva on Phil Foden

Phil Foden is so good, he is one of those players who can score goals and win games for you. I am happy for him, he went through a difficult period with his injury so I am very happy to have him with us because he showed he can solve some of our problems.

How they stand in the top five

Full time: Man City 2 Newcastle 0

Newcastle had chances and a good spell in the second half after the triple substitution but City were the better team, taking their chances, refusing to get frustrated or panic. 

 

90+5 min: Man City 2 Newcastle 0

Trippier takes and Foden stoops while jumping in the wall to get his head on it and reduce its sting. Ederson dives to his left to save ... and seal his 100th clean sheet. 

90+4 min: Man City 2 Newcastle 0

Phillips and Stone are not coming on after all. Newcastle free-kick 30 yards out. 

90+2 min: Man City 2 Newcastle 0

Make that four Haaland-won corners until they take one properly and Newcastle threaten to break but are caught on halfway. 

90 min: Man City 2 Newcastle 0

City corner on the left, won by Haaland's tenacity. Haaland comes out for the short corner to earn another one.

There will be four minutes of stoppage time. Haaland shields in in the quadrant to earn a third. Lascelles is yellow carded for some thing he said.

89 min: Man City 2 Newcastle 0

Targett replaces who was booked for that altercation with the similarly yellow-carded Haaland. Murphy gets in down the Newcastle right and for the third or maybe fourth time today drills an enticing cross through the six-yard box that no one took a gamble to get there. 

87 min: Man City 2 Newcastle 0

Newcastle have scored only three PL goals in 2023. Their poor chance conversion rate has cost them dear again. 

Pope makes a good one-handed save with his right hand, diving low and blocking Foden's right-foot shot from the left with an iron wrist. 

85 min: Man City 2 Newcastle 0

Guardiola is perched atop a Gatorade box and seems to be suffering from restless leg syndrome. John Stones and Kalvin Phillips are stripped and ready to come on. 

83 min: Man City 2 Newcastle 0

Another City free-kick, this one for an unnecessary foul on Walker. 

81 min: Man City 2 Newcastle 0

Grealish takes the Foden crossfield pass and dinks it down the outside to Ake in a one-two but Ake's cross is blocked by Lascelles and City have to settle for a corner that comes to naught. 

79 min: Man City 2 Newcastle 0

Bruno Guimaraes curls a long ball with his right towards the left post. Akanji holds off Saint-Maximin and Isak to let it go out for a goal-kick. 

78 min: Man City 2 Newcastle 0

Murphy replaces Almiron for Newcastle. 

76 min: Man City 2 Newcastle 0

Yellow card for Bruno Guimaraes who uses his hand to stop City attacking after slipping. Free-kick, about 20 yards out, right of centre. 

Gundogan pulls rank over Foden as the captain and balloons it over the bar. 

73 min: Man City 2 Newcastle 0

Haaland and Burn enjoy a touch of Ollie Reed vs Alan Bates but with their togs on. Both are given a talking to for the wrestling bout after their team-mates square up to help out. 

71 min: Man City 2 Newcastle 0

Gundogan takes a free-kick on the right after a foul on Rodri. City load the penalty box and fire it across the six-yard box. All it needed was a toe but no one was there to apply the finish. 

GOAL!

Man City 2 Newcastle 0 (Bernardo)  Terrific left foot finish on the stretch and as he was falling, wrapping his instep around a powerful shot having been set up by City winning the ball back on  halfway after a poor Trippier pass and feeding it up to Grealish who advanced then cut in from the left to ping it to Haaland. The centre-forward cushioned it and laid it off perfectly for Bernardo to sweep home. All the momentum was with Newcastle after the substitutions and then City strike with their own substitute. 

67 min: Man City 1 Newcastle 0

Isak has made an instant impact, driving a wedge between Ake and Dias to burst to the byline on the right of the box again. He looks up and chips a floaty cross to the far post where Maximin's effort from the tightest of angles is blocked by Ederso.n

66 min: Man City 1 Newcastle 0

Bernardo replaces De Bruyne. 

65 min: Man City 1 Newcastle 0

Now Isak drives into the box from the left, powers past Ake and through Ederson's attempt to dive in and grab it but Dias is there to scramble it away. 

63 min: Man City 1 Newcastle 0

Another Newcastle chance, the best of a drab half. Willock bounds down the right, picks up his head then whips over a cross to the penalty spot that dips for Joelinton to hit on the run with a half-volley but he gets the ball stuck under his feet. 

61 min: Man City 1 Newcastle 0

Joelinton trips Grealish and the break heralds a triple Newcastle substitution: Isak, Saint-Maximin and Willock replace Wilson, Gordon and Longstaff. 

59 min: Man City 1 Newcastle 0

Longstaff looks more winded than anything and passes the concussion test. Back on he comes ... to see Haaland try a roundhouse left-foot half-volley in a tight spot with Botman marking the inside of his shirt, hooking it over the bar. 

57 min: Man City 1 Newcastle 0

Almiron sweetly dispossesses Grealish and races off infield. Some beef there. Eventually he drives towards the box and picks out Gordon on the left. He cuts inside on to his right and blazes from 15 yards.

Moments earlier the referee had played an advantage after a hefty, flying challenge by Ake on Longstaff left the Newcastkle midfielder in a heap, having landed awkwardly on his shoulder and head. 

54 min: Man City 1 Newcastle 0

Booking for Joelinton who lunged to step on top of Dias's foot. The referee played the advantage and allowed Foden to find Grealish with a crossfield chip. Grealish then stepped in off the left wing to wrap his right instep around a right-foot shot that he speared over the bar. 

Joelinton wins a fortnight off with that booking, triggering a two-match ban. 

52 min: Man City 1 Newcastle 0

Ake stops a Newcastle thrust by beating Almiron in the air. 

50 min: Man City 1 Newcastle 0

Strange to write that City, with the best centre-forward around, have lacked a clinical edge in this game. They should be over the hills and far away by now. The general lack of precision and intensity just manifested itself in De Bruyne slotting a reverse pass straight out for a goal-kick. 

 

48 min: Man City 1 Newcastle 0

Grealish falls on to his face when he skipped and shimmied into the box and hit the deck when challenged by Trippier. The referee tells him to get up and Trippier looks like he could chin his England colleague. 

46 min: Man City 1 Newcastle 0

The teams are unchanged as Newcastle kick off. They have lost 13 straight at the Etihad. At half-time Rafa Benítez was advocating a change up front with Isak on for Wilson. 

Half-time: Man City 1 Newcastle 0

City have been the better side by a comfortable margin but Newcastle have made two very good chances, one for Longstaff, seen off by the timing of Ake's block, and an even better one for Wilson whose control let him down. Foden looks irrepressible on the right at times and De Bruyne is having one of his many lion days.  

Phil Foden of Manchester City celebrates after scoring a goal to make it 1-0 during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Newcastle United
Foden gives City the lead Credit: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images

45+1 min: Man City 1 Newcastle 0

The first of two minutes of stoppage time starts with Almiron, from an offside position, shots from the right with his left having crept round Ake on the blindside. His shot was off target anyway. 

45 min: Man City 1 Newcastle 0

After a spell of probing from Newcastle, twice repelled by Akanji, City break and hare off upfield. De Bruyne's control spins Lascelles on to the floor out on the City left but as he darted inside the Toon captain stood up to grab him round the waist. 

43 min: Man City 1 Newcastle 0

Grealish wants a yellow card for Trippier who stops him completing a one-two out by the left touchline with a blatant obstruction. But a free-kick is all he gets despite protests. 

41 min: Man City 1 Newcastle 0

City spray the corner deep but Newcastle see off the second wave with numbers in the box. 

39 min: Man City 1 Newcastle 0

Bruno and Botman double up to stop Haaland turning in the box to shoot, having taken a throw on his chest and shielded the ball for a couple of seconds. City corner. 

37 min: Man City 1 Newcastle 0

Big chance for Wilson, 10 yards out to swivel and finish after Trippier had bounded round the back of the City defence to head Joelinton's driven diagonal straight to his centre-forward. It wasn't an air shot ... but just as feeble, catching it with his studs on the half volley and slicing it tamely. 

35 min: Man City 1 Newcastle 0

Walker hits a 60-yard diagonal that would have looked good among Alexander-Arnold's greatest hits. De Bruyne takes it in his stride and Grealish darts into the box to take Longstaff out of De Bruyne's way. The City playmaker spots Haaland and clips a cross to the far post. Botman stays strong to make the angle awkward for Botman who can't impart the power or precision on his finish. 

33 min: Man City 1 Newcastle 0

Newcastle free-kick on halfway. Trippier stands it up to the 18-yard line. Ederson comes charging through to punch it back to Trippier. He's out of position if Trippier can deliver quickly but City's defenders support their keeper, throwing themselves into challenges to see off the danger and City counter. 

31 min: Man City 1 Newcastle 0

Ake easily beats Wilson to a long diagonal driven to the right of the D by Burn and City counter once again. Newcastle simply can't keep the ball for any length of time. 

29 min: Man City 1 Newcastle 0

Bruno Guimaraes is down in the middle of the park. Seems to have hurt his calf during a scramble back to stop City counter-attacking. Actually, he seems OK. 

Phil Foden scores
Foden scores City's opener Credit: Tom Flathers/Manchester City FC via Getty Images

26 min: Man City 1 Newcastle 0

Good strength from Lascelles to hold off Haaland as the ballwas played down the inside-left channel into the box. He lenaed into him and had big enough guns to fend him away from the ball wth his right arm until Pope could get there. 

 Manchester City's Erling Braut Haaland in action with Newcastle United's Jamaal Lascelles
Lascelles holds off Haaland Credit: REUTERS/Carl Recine

24 min: Man City 1 Newcastle 0

Don't know what Gordon's instructions are but he isn't working back and consequently Burn is being ...erm ... burned by Foden and now in tandem with Walker, played down the line by Foden. The nominal full-back gets to the byline and pings over a low-near-post cross that Botman slides in to clear. 

22 min: Man City 1 Newcastle 0

Grealish whips over a right-foot cross from the left after linking up well with Ake and Haaland but Lascelles meets it with a volleyed clearance for a throw-in. Newcastle are thoroughly hemmed into their last third. 

19 min: Man City 1 Newcastle 0

Newcastle have got their work cut out on their left and Gordon needs to work harder to help Burn. Foden glides past Gordon again and attacks Burn who gets a toe in (and catches Foden, too) but City keep coming, win the ball back and De Bruyne whacks over a cross that could have been dangerous but for Botman.

Haaland is playing up against Lascelles. Botman may handle him better. 

17 min: Man City 1 Newcastle 0

Valuable block from Ake when Longstaff had a tight chance for an instant equaliser on the right of the box. Ake slid in with his foot raised as Longstaff let fly and saved Ederson a job. 

Ake stops Longstaff's shot
Ake slides in to thwart Longstaff Credit: Martin Rickett/PA Wire

GOAL!

Man City 1-0 Newcastle (Foden)  Rodri sprays a crossfield pass from left to right. Foden takes it 35 yards out, leaves Gordon as he cuts in on to his left for dead, beats Bruno and nips between Trippier and Botman to hit a right-foot shot from 10 yards that hits Botman's right heel as he lunged in and diverted the shot past Pope.  

13 min Man City 0 Newcastle 0

De Bruyne takes the free-kick with his right, aiming for the top right. He gets the elevation to get it over the wall, but not the dip to steer it under the bar. Goal kick. 

12 min Man City 0 Newcastle 0

City free-kick to the left of the D for a Bruno foul on Gundogan who had chested Haaland's pass down, dummied and darted inside. Guimaraes stuck out his leg to stop him. 

10 min Man City 0 Newcastle 0

Lovely pass from Bruno up the inside-left channel. Gordon makes a good run and takes it in his stride, pursued by Walker, But, as he plants his right foot to strike with his left, he steps on the ball and comes a cropper. Ederson and Walker tidy up. 

8 min Man City 0 Newcastle 0

Poor pass from Walker, hitting it back to the left centre-half but without noticing Wilson. The Newcastle centre-forward almost pounces but Rodri was alert to nip back and stab the ball back to Ederson before Wilson could get his shot away. 

6 min Man City 0 Newcastle 0

Ake brings the ball out of defence on the left. To be fair to BT Sport, City's formation is extraordinarily fluid. They sweep tyhe ball across the midfield with Walker now tucked in on the right of the centre-circle. 

4 min Man City 0 Newcastle 0

Dias comes out to the left to jockey Almiron who feeds a pass inside to Longstaff and his shot is blocked behind for a corner by Ake. 

Newcastle bend an inswinger to the far edge of the six-yard box. Lascelles wins it comfortably and heads it back across goal but City, lax at the first phase, clear the second-phase ball without risk. 

2 min Man City 0 Newcastle 0

Burn hurls it into the box, City deal with it comfortably and break like lightning up the left with Haaland, Grealish and De Bruyne. They whip in a cross from the left and Gundogan leaps to meet it, having stolen ahead of Botman, and heads it on to the roof of the net. Haaland might have buried it. 

1 min Man City 0 Newcastle 0

Walker lines up on the right, ahead of the centre-halves, but definitely on the right, where he concedes a throw-in from the kick-off. 

BT Sport and the Press Association on City's formation

Both think City will play 3-2-4-1 with Walker in a deep lying central midfield position. Must have had a steer. Interesting ... but with Newcastle playing Almiron and Gordon as inverted wingers, wouldn't Walker and Ake be better off at full-back? 

The teams are in the tunnel

Goalkeepers lining up side by side in a tribute to the bells of St Clement's, in orange and lemon. 

The managers speak

BT Sport is fond of these rather rambling eraly interviews then tend to follow them with something tighter later.

Pep Guardiola says:

I expect the best from Newcastle. [Do you concentrate on what you do or do you have one eye on Arsenal at all times?] We always we take a look at opponents, now Arsenal, in the past Liverpool. Obviously we would prefer they lose, that is normal but they make 50 points in the first leg of the season, they are so consistent, so we know we can drop few points if we want to stay there until the end.

[Is it a three-horse race for the title?] I have said for many months that Manchester United are back. The strangeness of the last seven or eight years I've been here was that they were not there.

Eddie Howe says:

Training has been good in response to that defeat last week.  We are looking for a better performance in the critical areas. Our bench looks particularly strong and we’re going to need the whole squad today. Everyone is ready to play.  Anthony Gordon has worked with real intensity, it’s a really good opportunity for him today.

Anthony Gordon starts for Newcastle today

And had a chat with his former Everton manager as he made his way to the dressing room. 

Anthony Gordon of Newcastle United speaks to Rafael Benitez prior to the Premier League match between Manchester City and Newcastle United
Rafa Benitez, on BT Sport pundit duty, talks to Newcastle's newest signing Credit: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

Jamaal Lascelles makes his first league start

Since the 2-1 defeat at Anfield in August. The club captain has been linked with a return to Nottingham Forest in the summer. 

Your teams in black and white

Man City  Ederson; Walker, Akanji, Dias, Ake; De Bruyne, Rodri, Gundogan, Foden, Haaland, Grealish. 
Substitutes  Ortega, Lewis, Stones, Laporte,  Phillips, , Bernardo Silva, Mahrez, Palmer, Alvarez. 

Newcastle  Pope; Trippier, Lascelles, Botman, Burn; Longstaff, Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton; Almiron, Wilson, Gordon.
Substitutes Dubravka, Ritchie, Targett, Manquillo, Willock, Anderson, Murphy, Saint-Maximin, Isak.

Referee  Simon Hooper (Wiltshire).

Pope returns, Lascelles and Gordon start

City do go for De Bruyne/Rodri/Gundogan

Preview: Guardiola's midfield conundrum

Good afternoon and welcome to coverage of the early kick-off between second-placed Manchester City, five points behind Arsenal, and fifth-placed Newcastle United, four points behind Tottenham but with two games in hand. It's also, of course, the Gulf derby, lest we forget ... at least until Qatar completes its Premier League trolley dash.

City bounced back from their chastening draw with Nottingham Forest to dispatch Bournemouth with clinical precision last week while Newcastle, the limitations of whose squad have begun to show, are looking for only their second victory in the last eight. Eddie Howe, all can agree, has done a marvellous job in taking them from bottom place 13 months ago with some canny signings but it won't be long before expectation outstrips gratitude. Not that Newcastle fans are impatient but their owners just might be. No doubt that his one world-class signing, Bruno Guimaraes, has been a great success and the sterling renovation jobs he has performed on Fabian Schar, Miguel Almiron and Joelinton, demonstrate what an excellent coach he is. But the next phase of his job will be singing upgrades in a couple of positions and how he handles them will be his next hurdle. So far so good, though.

As for City, Pep Guardiola seems uncharacteristically restless with his midfield which ahs long been the source of City's slickness and success. It will be interesting to see which combination he goes for today. Ilkay Gundogan, Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne were sent out to face Arsenal and came up trumps. Time for that trio to start again today?

Aymeric Laporte has been ill but has not been ruled out yet while John Stones is back in training and could appear on the bench. Bruno Guimaraes has been passed fit for the visitors who are without long-term absentees Emil Krafth Ryan Fraser. 

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