Man City Vs Newcastle — man city vs newcastle: O’Reilly doubles up as City win 2-1
man city vs newcastle ended 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium as Nico O’Reilly scored twice to give Manchester City a tense victory and move them to within two points of Premier League leaders Arsenal. The win took City to 56 points with a goal difference of 31, one fewer than the Gunners.
Match summary
Manchester City beat Newcastle United 2-1 as O’Reilly’s first-half double proved decisive. The game finished 2-1 and City reeled off a 17th consecutive home league victory over the visitors. Lewis Hall produced Newcastle’s only goal, a 22nd-minute equaliser.
O’Reilly’s two goals
Fourteen minutes in Jacob Ramsey was part of a midfield that went awol when Nico O’Reilly scored the opener. 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 was a leaping header that went in to Pope’s left after a smart Antoine Semenyo feed to Erling Haaland was complemented by a deft right-foot cross. The goal arrived in the 27th minute; Haaland raised his fists to salute the goal, which was his seventh assist.
Man City Vs Newcastle: Key moments
Newcastle equalised after a counterattack created two corners. Sandro Tonali dropped the second in, the ball came to Lewis Hall and his effort ricocheted off Rayan Aït-Nouri, defeating Gianluigi Donnarumma to his left. City’s lead lasted eight minutes before that equaliser; Newcastle’s parity lasted five. Towards the end Rayan Aït-Nouri scampered free but a miskick in front of Nick Pope’s goal enabled the Newcastle keeper to collect the ball.
Tactical notes and substitutions
O’Reilly operated as part of the second bank of two with Semenyo in Pep Guardiola’s 4-2-2-2, ahead of Bernardo Silva and Rodri, and constantly pierced Newcastle. Eddie Howe set his side up in a 4-2-3-1, but Ramsey and Tonali were swamped by City’s central four. A Tonali free-kick was headed in by Dan Burn but Burn was offside, having been pushed into position by Rúben Dias; Howe later said he had not seen this. Dias’s sluggish pace had forced him to haul down Anthony Gordon for Tonali’s set piece; Dias was booked and then substituted for the second period, Guardiola confirming the change was tactical, with the far quicker Abdukodir Khusanov coming on.
Other incidents and reactions
Anthony Gordon had a lightning-fast break along the left, turning Marc Guéhi in the area and shooting low, with Donnarumma saving. Soon after the break Hall curved a free-kick wide, and moments later Semenyo was off target after a rapid central burst through wide-open opponents. Despite a 5, 058 miles round trip, Howe stood down only Harvey Barnes from Wednesday’s 6-1 hammering of Qarabag, with Jacob Ramsey the replacement.
Title race implications
Manchester City moved to 56 points with a goal difference of 31 (one fewer than the Gunners) courtesy of Nico O’Reilly’s first-half double. City are timing their title run-in well, giving Pep Guardiola a fine chance of a seventh title in a decade and threatening to break Arsenal’s hearts again. The final 11 matches for City and the Gunners promise to be a cannot-miss spectacle. 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 would be five points with one match fewer to play, but after this City victory over Newcastle it is a mere two, leaving a severe test of nerve at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Nico O’Reilly’s opener was Manchester City’s 500th Premier League goal at the Etihad Stadium under Pep Guardiola. They have netted 68 m
man city vs newcastle produced a tense, tightly contested encounter that left City closer to the top and Newcastle searching for a way back into the match after O’Reilly’s decisive double.
