Man City vs Newcastle LIVE: Premier League result and reaction as Julian Alvarez scores winner
Manchester City 1-0 Newcastle: Julian Alvarez’s first-half goal proves enough for City to grab a second win to start the season
Julian Alvarez’s fine first-half strike handed Manchester City a hard-fought 1-0 win over Newcastle United in their first home match since winning the treble.
The World Cup winner curled a shot into the top corner after 31 minutes of a tight Premier League encounter at the Etihad Stadium and it proved enough for the champions to claim all three points.
Newcastle, buoyed by thrashing Aston Villa 5-1 in their season opener last week, had travelled in hope of claiming their first league win at City for almost 23 years. Yet the hosts, despite making just two changes following their draining European Super Cup venture in Athens in midweek, were too strong and successfully nullified Eddie Howe’s side.
Pep Guardiola’s men were far from their fluid best, but they produced a professional performance to follow up their opening win at Burnley and in Alvarez and Phil Foden they had the brightest players on the pitch.
Relive the action from the Premier League match below.
Man City 0-0 Newcastle
A few snaps from the early going at the Etihad
Man City 0-0 Newcastle
17 mins: 75 per cent possession for City so far. Not that they’ve done a huge amount with it. Patience is very much one of their virtues though, of course.
Anthony Gordon fizzes a low ball across the City box but Akanji clears into the stands. Nicely dealt with.
Man City 0-0 Newcastle
14 mins: A first real shot in anger from City. Walker with a bit of space down the right, works the ball back infield to Akanji, via Foden, and the centre-back curls an effort at goal but a long way over.
Akanji looks to be in that ‘Stones’ role - more midfield than defence - today.
Man City 0-0 Newcastle
12 mins: A slight let-off for Newcastle. Joelinton gets caught out by the City press and the ball falls to Haaland midway in the opposition half. A lay-off to Foden, who slides the ball back through to the big Norwegian but it’s slightly behind him and the touch is heavy, so it’s harmlessly out for a goal-kick.
A warning though.
Man City 0-0 Newcastle
10 mins: Grealish cuts in from the left and shoots at goal but a sliding block by his England teammate Trippier averts the danger. Nothing clear-cut in terms of opportunities for either side so far as they feel each other out.
Man City 0-0 Newcastle
7 mins: Promising fro Newcastle down the right as Trippier overlaps beyond Almiron but the right-back is caught just offside.
At the other end, a nice ball into feet from Grealish to Haaland but his little attempted flick to Alvarez is cut out by the Magpies. Good defending.
Man City 0-0 Newcastle
5 mins: Grealish out on the left, with Foden in a more central role seems to be the way City have lined up so far. Alvarez will look to push on and almost form a two up top with Haaland as much as possible, you’d think.
City dominating possession in the early going as you might expect.
Man City 0-0 Newcastle
3 mins: Schar is going to try to continue. We’ll keep an eye on the Newcastle centre-back.
Man City 0-0 Newcastle
1 mins: Ooof. This looks like a painful one for Fabian Schar. He goes up for a ball with Erling Haaland and hits the ground hard. He may have landed on his shoulder/collarbone.
The physio is on and he looks in some discomfort. This would be a blow for Newcastle...
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