It’s been a long time coming, but Eddie Howe finally has his first managerial win over Manchester City in the Premier League, and his 100th overall as our manager.
Our best performance of the season so far saw us beat Pep Guardiola’s side 2-1 at St James’ Park, with a Harvey Barnes brace in a manic second half proving to be pivotal.
After the last few weeks of performances and results, today’s three points are absolutely massive for building momentum ahead of a huge run of fixtures coming up for the rest of 2025.
Here’s what Howe had to say after last night’s dramatic, hard-fought win under the lights:
Howe hails “magnificent” Mags
After some morale-damaging results in recent weeks, particularly to Brighton, West Ham and Brentford, this win was much-needed for more than just the fanbase, but for Howe and the players as well.
And it was a stellar display from all involved. Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento looked like they haven’t been away with injury, the midfield trio were as imperious, and Harvey Barnes’ brace are a very welcome sign that more than just Nick Woltemade can score goals in our current setup.
Discussing the display and perfect response to recent setbacks, Howe said:
“We are delighted to win today. I think the heart, endeavour and attitude of our performance today, when you compare it to Brentford, when we looked tired and flat, that was a big upturn in terms of the normal way we play. That will give us a massive lift.”
“That was the reaction we wanted. We had a long wait in between the Brentford game and this game and in some respect that was probably a good thing because it allowed us time to reflect, the time to work, and the players who stayed will vouch for that.
“We tried to re-find our energy and our athleticism through training. We tried to then instil that into the guys who came back from international duty that this is what we’ve worked on and this is what we need to deliver, and the players didn’t let us down.
“They were magnificent today. The heart and energy and athleticism was there and it needed to be because playing such a good opponent, one mistake and you’re going to get punished. I thought it was a really high-level game between two really good teams.”
What went right vs Man City compared to other games
A common criticism levelled at us this season is that the differences in our performances home and away are absolutely night and day, as well as some players only turning up for the ‘big’ occasions.
But Howe has ignored all this criticism today, and has been full of praise for his entire squad for their professional performance against one of the title favourites.
“We were close to our very best, really really good performance from the players. We created a lot of chances in that first half, disappointed not to go in leading.”
“You are always in a position against Manchester City where you make one mistake and you can concede. We were brave, ambitious and scored some great goals. The extra time at the end wasn’t welcome, it was a long wait but thankfully we got the win.”
“To beat Man City should give us the confidence we need. We need to try and use this result as a turning point in our season both home and away to get a result.”
On ending curse against Pep Guardiola
Save for a Carabao Cup win back in the 2023/24 season, where Alexander Isak scored the only goal of the game, Man City and Pep Guardiola have been a constant thorn in Howe’s side.
So with today’s win being the boss’ first against Man City in the Premier League, Howe expressed a strong sense of relief that he managed to finally end an unwanted record.
“It’s been a long wait against Pep, he’s an incredible manager. We won against the best team in the Premier League over the last, well, God knows how long.”
“It means something to beat Man City for Newcastle. That’s the thing. My individual (record vs Pep) It’s irrelevant.
“Although, I have to say we’ve had some painful moments over the years, really painful moments. And every defeat is painful, and I remember every single one, so it’s nice to win for the team.”