The goals of Phil Foden and Portuguese Bernardo Silva supported the victory against Newcastle by Manchester City (2-0), which accentuates the pressure on Arsenal in the mano a mano that both clubs maintain for the leadership of the Premier League.
The team of Spanish Pep Guardiola has positioned itself two points behind Arsenal. The gunners still have a pending match against Bournemouth, which they now face without margin for error to keep their lead at the end of the matchday.
City does not give in, accumulating a new victory, the eighteenth in the competition, and enlarging the doubts of Newcastle, lately in decline, immersed in an evident slump that has kept them out of the Champions League zone in England.
It was difficult for the Magpies to keep up with the pace set by the champion. Newcastle has been at the top of the table throughout the season. They even came to be considered contenders. Damaged now by the defeat in the League Cup final last Sunday against Manchester United, they have also been going through a bad spell in the league. The team of Eddie Howe has already gone five matches without a win. After three consecutive draws, they suffered two consecutive defeats. One against Liverpool in the last matchday and this one against City.
The start was, from the beginning, a statement of intent. At the 15th minute, the home team took the lead in a brilliant individual action by Phil Foden who, after receiving the ball from Rodri, evaded several defenders until he culminated his action with an accurate shot that beat Nick Pope and put the locals ahead.
The Citizen attacker extended his good streak by adding a new goal to the double he scored against Bristol in the Cup and the one he scored against Bournemouth in the previous matchday.
He could have extended the lead to ten before halftime in a clear opportunity for Erling Haaland. The Norwegian is not accurate and missed narrowly, once again failing to score.
It seemed that the outlook could change with the triple substitution made by Eddie Howe at the hour mark. The visiting coach took a risk by sending Alexander Isak, Joe Willock, and Allan Saint Maximin onto the field. They had two opportunities to equalize. In the boots of Joelinton and then Isak. They were not successful.
That made the difference because when the match seemed to take a turn, City closed it out. It was with the goal from Bernardo Silva, who had jumped onto the field instead of Kevin De Bruyne. It came in the 68th minute, in a ball stolen by Nathan Ake, who passed it to Jack Grealish, and he to Haaland. The Norwegian did not score and instead assisted Bernardo Silva. The Portuguese made room for himself and shot from outside the box. And he scored. And sealed the victory.
The goal was a blow for the Magpies, who stopped believing. They yielded the match to City, which could have achieved an even bigger victory. City fulfilled its role, lurking behind Arsenal, while Newcastle falls away from the top four positions, the Champions League spots, and puts their European spot in question.
EFE.