I still can’t quite believe that that ended Manchester City 3 Newcastle 1.
It seems insane that one team can miss so many golden opportunities. Willock, Gordon, Wissa (more than once) and Elanga should all have seen the bulge of the net.
I was equally stunned by how incredibly clumsy we were at the back in the first half, only to look like a completely different team after the break.
We lost Anthony Gordon just before half-time to a hamstring injury, but with 38 appearances (for club and country) already this season, it was only a matter of time.
The Nick Woltemade experiment is quickly losing momentum and he is starting to look like a luxury player. Everywhere on the periphery he was rightly addicted to the break.
The real problem, however, was structural. The huge gap between midfield and defense made it painfully easy for us to play through. We were supposed to have a three or four in the middle, but they were either way too flat or they pressed way too high. No one stepped in to protect us during the transition and Manchester City exploited it ruthlessly.
There was an element of fortune in all three goals, but just like at Anfield, we ultimately scored them ourselves.
Malick Thiaw looked tired and leggy for the opener and turned like a tractor to follow Marmoush’s run. Burn’s challenge, the deflection and suddenly it was 1-0, were effectively balanced.
The second was again avoidable. Reijnders burst through the space between midfield and defence, found Semenyo and although Trippier almost produced a brilliant clearance, the ball fell perfectly for Marmoush to nod in his second.
The third summarized the first half. Sandro pressed high without any cover behind him, Reijnders again strode through unopposed and after another near-perfect defensive intervention from BDB, the ball broke kindly for Reijnders to score the goal his performance deserved.
The second half told a different story.
A small tactical adjustment transformed the game. Instead of leaving that space unguarded, one of the central defenders – usually Botman or Thiaw – would consistently step into midfield to eliminate counters. Manchester City were largely wiped out.
If Wissa had had a left foot we might have had a real match.
Elanga’s goal was excellent, and although he will regret the goal he missed, the ball opposite Barnes was not quite right. Anthony Elanga is starting to show why we were so keen to bring him in and Gordon’s injury could give him an even longer run.
Ultimately, however, the conclusion is inevitable.
Newcastle United is simply not as good as Manchester City. At most four of our players – Sandro, Bruno, Sven and Hall – would perform for them regularly. That gap, more than luck or tactics, determines where we stand.
(You can also visit Daniel’s own home Substack to read more of his articles about football)
Manchester City 3 Newcastle 1 – Wednesday 4 February 2026 8:00 PM
Match statistics
Goals:
Newcastle United:
The garden
Man’s City:
Marmoush 7, 29 Reijnders 32
Possess was Newcastle 37% Manchester City 63%
Total shots were Newcastle 12 Man City 18
Shots on target were Newcastle 5 Man City 8
Corners were Newcastle 4 Man City 5
Touches in the opposition box Newcastle 14 Man City 34
Newcastle team vs Man City:
Ramsdale, Trippier (Osula 76), Thiaw, Botman, Burn, Hall (Jacob Murphy 46), Tonali, Ramsey, Willock (Elanga 46), Gordon (Barnes 44), Woltemade (Wissa 46)
subtitles:
Pope, Alex Murphy, Neave, Shahar
#Incredibly #weird #match #Etihad #Newcastle #United..