Erling Haaland suffered a rare off day as Harvey Barnes’ double gave Newcastle victory over Manchester City at St James’ Park.
The Premier League’s leading goalscorer went into the contest seeking his 100th strike in the English top flight but missed two excellent opportunities as City slumped to their second successive away defeat.
Barnes was not as profligate, scoring either side of a Ruben Dias equaliser, to move Newcastle up to 14th in the table.
Haaland squanders early chance
Haaland ought to have opened the scoring inside the first four minutes but fluffed his lines in uncharacteristic fashion. The Norwegian was played through by Jeremy Doku but tried to chip the ball over the advancing Nick Pope and only succeeded in skewing it horribly wide.
It was to prove a sign of things to come as both sides squandered numerous opportunities in an absorbing opening period.
City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma made a fine save to keep out Nick Woltemade’s header and the giant German failed to beat the Italian again after 27 minutes having been played in by Barnes.
In between those chances, City had two excellent shouts for a penalty. The first appeared a stonewaller, Fabian Schar catching Phil Foden on the ankle after the England midfielder had got his shot away while the second, for handball against Malick Thiaw, was also waved away by referee Sam Barrott.
City had every right to feel hard done to but Newcastle failed to capitalise on their good luck, Barnes somehow firing wide at the far post having been picked out by Jacob Murphy’s low cross.
The visitors came again and Haaland was denied a customary poacher’s effort when his close-range shot struck Pope in the chest and rebounded to safety.
Phil Foden was also guilty of poor finishing when he side-footed wide of a gaping goal after good work from Rayan Cherki a minute before the break.
Barnes at the double for Magpies
City bossed possession at the start of the second period but Newcastle remained a threat on the counter, another smart save from Donnarumma denying Woltemade approaching the hour mark.
Five minutes later and Newcastle were ahead. Bruno Guimaraes slotted the ball back to Barnes on the edge of the area and he fired a crisp low shot into the bottom left-hand corner.
Their lead lasted just five minutes, the hosts failing to clear a corner and in the ensuing panic the ball fell to Dias and he fired in via the leg of Schar.
It seemed as though Pep Guardiola’s side would go on and make their superiority count but they were undone by Newcastle’s physical presence at the other end.
City struggled to get the ball clear, Sandro Tonali’s cross was headed back across goal by Woltemade for Guimaraes to nod against the bar. The ball fell kindly for Barnes to hook the ball home, the goal eventually given after a lengthy VAR check for offside.
Newcastle sat back in the final 20 minutes but City struggled to make any inroads. The best chance fell to substitute Savinho but he shot horribly over the bar when well placed.
