Man City Vs Newcastle — man city vs newcastle ends 2-1 as O’Reilly doubles
man city vs newcastle produced a tense 2-1 victory for Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium as Nico O’Reilly scored twice to keep City on the heels of Arsenal. The win moved City to 56 points and cut Arsenal’s lead to two in the Premier League title race.
O’Reilly’s first-half double
Nico O’Reilly’s first-half double supplied both goals for Manchester City. The opener came after Dan Burn ceded possession to Omar Marmoush; the Egyptian ran forward and squeezed the ball left, O’Reilly "took a look" and fired beyond Nick Pope, the goalkeeper’s right fingertips merely brushing the finish on its way past. O’Reilly’s second arrived as a leaping header following a smart Antoine Semenyo feed to Erling Haaland that was complemented by a deft right-foot cross, the goal arriving in the 27th minute and marked by Haaland raising his fists to salute what was described as his seventh assist.
Man City Vs Newcastle match report
City moved to 56 points with a goal difference of 31 (one fewer than the Gunners). The game finished 2-1 as City reeled off a 17th consecutive home league victory over the visitors. Lewis Hall had produced a 22nd-minute equaliser for Newcastle, and the contest remained tight to the end.
Newcastle response and key moments
Anthony Gordon broke along the left, turned Marc Guéhi in the area and shot low, only for Gianluigi Donnarumma to save. A similar counterattack forced two corners and Newcastle equalised when Sandro Tonali dropped the second in; the ball came to Lewis Hall and his effort ricocheted off Rayan Aït-Nouri, defeating Donnarumma to his left. City’s lead lasted eight minutes and Newcastle’s parity lasted five before O’Reilly restored the advantage.
Selection, travel and midfield battle
Despite a 5, 058 miles round trip, Eddie Howe stood down only Harvey Barnes from Wednesday’s 6-1 hammering of Qarabag, with Jacob Ramsey the replacement. Fourteen minutes in Ramsey was part of a midfield that went awol when O’Reilly scored the opener, leaving City’s central four to swamp Ramsey and Sandro Tonali as Manchester City deployed a 4-2-2-2 with O’Reilly and Semenyo ahead of Bernardo Silva and Rodri.
Discipline and tactical changes
Rúben Dias was booked after hauling down Anthony Gordon to concede the Tonali set piece; he was then substituted for the second period, a change Guardiola confirmed was tactical, with the far quicker Abdukodir Khusanov coming on. At one point Dan Burn headed in a Tonali free-kick but was ruled offside after being pushed into position by Dias, a detail Eddie Howe said he had not seen.
Late chances and defensive mishap
Towards the end Rayan Aït-Nouri could have calmed home tension when scampering free, but a miskick in front of Nick Pope’s goal enabled Newcastle’s keeper to collect the ball. Soon after the break Hall curved a free-kick wide and Semenyo also went off target after a rapid central burst through wide-open opponents.
Pep on O’Reilly: "What a player" was the headline reaction to O’Reilly’s performance. Nico O’Reilly’s opener was Manchester City’s 500th Premier League goal at the Etihad Stadium under Pep Guardiola; the context then adds the fragment "They have netted 68 m" — unclear in the provided context.
By early Sunday evening Mikel Arteta’s side will be down to 10 games and 30 points left to play for after they travel to Tottenham. If Arsenal emerge victorious from the north London derby their advantage will be five points with one match fewer to play, but after this City victory it is a mere two, meaning a severe test of nerve awaits at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Manchester City 2-1 Newcastle United. O’Reilly scored twice, Lewis Hall scored Newcastle’s goal, Manchester City moved to 56 points, goal difference 31 (one fewer than the Gunners), and City recorded a 17th consecutive home league victory over the visitors.
