Manchester City had Julian Alvarez to thank on Saturday evening as the Argentine’s gorgeous strike secured a 1-0 victory over Newcastle United.
Both sides struggled to showcase their best in front of goal and it always seemed like it would need something particularly special to make the difference, and Alvarez provided that midway through the first half with a fierce strike from range.
City dominated the early possession but Newcastle were happy to sit back and limit the space available to Pep Guardiola’s side.
It took about 20 minutes for Newcastle to show anything at the other end of the field but clear-cut chances were at a real premium for both sides and it took a moment of true magic from Alvarez to put City ahead.
With City’s first shot on target, the Argentina international rifled home an excellent effort from the edge of the box which was simply too powerful for Nick Pope in the Newcastle net.
Erling Haaland dragged wide as the first half ticked on, with the game finally starting to open up after a cagey start.
There was a bit more energy from Newcastle to start the second half, but Fabian Schar needed to make an outstanding challenge to deny what felt like a certain goal from none other than Haaland – one of those certain red cards if anything other than perfection.
Bruno Guimaraes found some space on the edge of the City area but, under little pressure, scuffed an effort well wide.
As the game ticked into the final 15 minutes, Newcastle clearly started to push for an equaliser and enjoyed lengthy periods of serious possession, but they could not find a way through as City held on for all three points.
GK: Ederson – 6/10 – Not particularly busy but still made an impact with some excellent passing.
RB: Kyle Walker – 7/10 – Typically impressive at both ends of the field. Afforded plenty of freedom to fly around the pitch and seemed to enjoy that responsibility.
CB: Manuel Akanji – 7/10 – So comfortable in this system. Akanji drifted into midfield repeatedly to help overload things in City’s favour.
CB: Ruben Dias – 7/10 – Took a beating in his battles with Gordon but usually came out on top.
LB: Josko Gvardiol – 7/10 – Nothing particularly fancy but continuously classy. Usually played in more of a central role but did well to cover two areas of the pitch.
DM: Rodri – 8/10 – Pulled the string with unbelievable quality and looked so comfortable doing so. Few players in world football can match Rodri’s level.
DM: Mateo Kovacic – 8/10 – A glorious showing from the Croatia international. Formed a devastating partnership with Rodri as the duo picked passes time and time again.
RM: Phil Foden – 8/10 – Grabbed the assist for the opening goal in what was an excellent all-round showing from Foden. Mixed technical quality with impressive work rate to send a clear message to Guardiola about his role in the team.
AM: Julian Alvarez – 7/10 – A really impressive finish as Alvarez proved to be a great link between midfield and attack.
LM: Jack Grealish – 6/10 – Did a solid job but was the most predictable of City’s attacking midfielders. Surprisingly struggled to find space.
ST: Erling Haaland – 6/10 – Newcastle did an excellent job of frustrating Haaland, who had a few sights of goal but failed to take any.
Substitutes
Subs not used: Ortega (GK), Gomez, Lewis, Ake, Perrone, Phillips, McAtee, Palmer, Bobb
Manager
Pep Guardiola – 7/10 – Guardiola set his midfield up to perfection here and ensured City dominated the game, even if they could not find a way to get Haaland involved as much as they would have wanted. Not making a single substitution was a little strange, however.
GK: Nick Pope – 6/10 – Got a hand to Alvarez’s fierce strike but couldn’t do anything about the power.
RB: Kieran Trippier – 7/10 – Did a nice job on Grealish and deserved far better in attack. Made some brilliant runs which were not rewarded.
CB: Fabian Schar – 6/10 – Didn’t always deal well with the pace of City’s front line but did pull off an unreal challenge to deny Haaland a certain goal.
CB: Sven Botman – 7/10 – Really enjoyed his battle with Haaland and, from an individual perspective, came out on top.
LB: Dan Burn – 6/10 – Put an absolute shift in but his lack of mobility at both ends of the pitch proved to be a problem. Few can match his energy levels, however.
DM: Bruno Guimaraes – 6/10 – Enjoyed a few nice moments but was given the unenviable task of trying to match up to Rodri and Kovacic. Couldn’t keep up, but few would be able to.
CM: Sandro Tonali – 5/10 – After last week’s electric showing, Tonali showed he still needs time to adjust to life in England. Hooked midway through the second half.
CM: Joelinton – 5/10 – Played with his typical energy but was largely chasing shadows before a knock forced him to the bench.
RW: Miguel Almiron – 4/10 – Really poor in possession, missing plenty of good opportunities to link up with Trippier down the right. Kept on for his work rate but that should not have been enough.
ST: Alexander Isak – 4/10 – Very limited service saw Isak substituted in the second half after a quiet display.
LW: Anthony Gordon – 5/10 – Some nice moments in possession but appeared to lose his composure and had to be substituted before he inevitably picked up a second yellow card.
Substitutes
SUB: Harvey Barnes (56′ for Gordon) – 6/10 – Brought some much-needed energy to Newcastle’s attack.
SUB: Sean Longstaff (56′ for Joelinton) – 6/10 – Struggled to match the quality in City’s midfield but made his presence known.
SUB: Elliot Anderson (67′ for Tonali) – 7/10 – The youngster was fearless and his enthusiasm was infectious.
SUB: Callum Wilson (67′ for Isak) – 6/10 – Another who added energy and took the game to City.
SUB: Tino Livramento (86′ for Almiron) – N/A
Subs not used: Dubravka (GK), Targett, Lascelles, Ritchie
Manager
Eddie Howe – 5/10 – Couldn’t keep up with City but did make some impressive substitutions to try and drag Newcastle back into things.
