Man City vs Newcastle LIVE: Premier League result and reaction as Julian Alvarez scores winner

Take three talismanic attacking midfielders out of a treble-winning team and even Manchester City might struggle. Or so the theory went, anyway. Even as they paraded the trio of trophies they secured last season, it was in the absence of a triumvirate with rare and complementary gifts, in the departed Ilkay Gundogan, the injured Kevin de Bruyne and the ill Bernardo Silva. And yet as they overcame the opening weekend’s most impressive side, the rising force, perhaps the pretenders to their crown, it was their replacements who proved decisive.

Mateo Kovacic to Phil Foden to Julian Alvarez. Goal. Newcastle were defeated and, even at this early stage, it could be a six-pointer of a strike. Kovacic was the first summer signing, Foden and Alvarez the world-class talent and World Cup winner who started finals on the bench last season, the deluxe deputies waiting for an opportunity, and then seizing it.

Richard Jolly’s report from the Etihad:

Manuel Akanji discusses City’s win over Newcastle

Here was the only goal of the game. A lovely finish by Alvarez and it was enough to secure all three points in the end.

And it’s all over! Job done for City as Alvarez’s first-half goal gives them a 1-0 triumph. They’re good value for it, in truth.

90+4 mins: Haaland tries to keep the ball in the corner and eventually wins a corner. Newcastle then finally earn a goal-kick with 60 seconds left. One last chance?

90+2 mins: City having all of the ball and keeping it in Newcastle’s half. Ideal when you’re nursing a 1-0 lead.

90 mins: Five minutes of injury-time. Five minutes for Newcastle to try and fashion an equaliser.

89 mins: Another counter, led by Haaland this time and he slips in Foden overlapping on the right. Tight angle but he tries to fire the ball into the far corner and Pope sticks out a leg to tip it wide for a corner. May have been going wide anyway but Pope couldn’t be sure.

The corner comes to nothing.

88 mins: City pour forward on the counter, Alvarez slips the ball across to Foden who has Walker roaring past him ont he overlap but he shoots instead and it’s blocked. The chance goes and Newcastle are still in this at only 1-0 down.

86 mins: Sven Botman off and on for his Newcastle debut is Tino Livramento. The England U21 international was brilliant for Southampton two years ago but then suffered a knee injury that kept him out for over a year.

He returned in May and then joined Newcastle for around £30m this summer. A great moment for him to make his debut.