Newcastle v Man City player ratings: Barnes 9, Woltemade 6; Doku 7, Haaland 5

Hosts stun Pep Guardiola's side who miss chance to close gap on leaders Arsenal

Harvey Barnes celebrates scoring his and Newcastle's second against Man City. Getty Images

Manchester City’s Premier League title challenge suffered a setback after Pep Guardiola’s side were defeated 2-1 by Newcastle United on Saturday.

Lifted by the St James’ Park faithful, it was Newcastle who created the best chances of the first half, with Nick Woltemade testing City stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma on two occasions.

After Phil Foden wasted a golden chance to hand his side the lead, it was the hosts who broke the deadlock on the 64^th minute. A turnover in possession saw the ball fall to the feet of Harvey Barnes at the edge of the City box and he drilled it past a helpless Donnarumma.

The visitors did restore parity just a few moments later through Ruben Dias, but Newcastle – and Barnes – were not to be denied. In the 70^th minute, the winger pounced to flick the ball home with an improvised finish from close range.

“[That was a] big result for us, one we definitely needed on the back of a few poor results,” Barnes told Sky Sports. “We really came out firing in the second half, and it's a massive three points.”

The win lifts the Magpies up to 15^th in the Premier League table. City are third but could fall seven points behind leaders Arsenal should they win Sunday's North London derby.

Newcastle player ratings

Nick Pope – 7: Had very little to do throughout, with his most vital intervention being his headed save against an onrushing Erling Haaland just a few minutes into the game.

Tino Livramento – 8: One of Newcastle’s standout performers. The 23-year-old was everywhere today. Virtually unbeatable defensively, he also proved his worth when marauding forward as a reliable outlet in wide areas.

Malick Thiaw – 7: The German has been a revelation at St James’ Park since his arrival this summer, and today will only enhance his reputation further. A rock at the back for Newcastle, he didn’t give Haaland a moment’s peace in the final third.

Fabian Schar – 7: Had an eventful evening. Almost gave a penalty away and failed to prevent Ruben Dias’ equaliser. That aside, the Swiss international stood tall late on against the waves and waves of City attacks.

Lewis Hall – 6: Not quite as influential as Livramento, but the left-back was nonetheless a solid performer for the hosts, marshalling Rayan Cherki well throughout the game.

Bruno Guimaraes – 7: Dictated the tempo when Newcastle had the ball. His defensive work was tireless, as he was constantly pressing and disrupting City's rhythm in the middle third – which ultimately led to him assisting Barnes’ first goal.

Sandro Tonali – 7: Not as influential as he can be, although he covered some serious ground in the first-half as Newcastle took the game to Guardiola’s side.

Joelinton – 7: Looked off the pace early on, as was evidenced by a handful of late challenges. However, he grew into the game well and was the architect of some dangerous Newcastle counters.

Jacob Murphy – 7: A major threat once again from the right-wing, as his pinpoint cross for Nick Woltemade in the first half very nearly yielded the opening goal of the game. He also did a fine job covering at left-back in the closing moments.

Nick Woltemade – 6: Got himself into some excellent positions, but proved wasteful in front of goal against the excellent Gianluigi Donnarumma. Seemed to tire in the second half after his early pressing efforts.

Harvey Barnes – 9: The man of the match. His arrowed strike from just outside the City box was followed up with a poacher-like finish in the 70^th minute to restore the lead. If he had his shooting boots on in the first half – where he missed a sitter from close range – he could have taken home the match ball. After a tough couple of seasons on Tyneside, Barnes has made himself almost undroppable.

Newcastle subs:

Sven Botman (for Hall, 77') – 7: Slotted nicely into a back-five for the final 15 or so minutes of the game, remaining calm and composed up against sustained City pressure.

Anthony Elanga (for Barnes, 85') – N/A: Had one or two moments to stretch his legs on the counter, which helped his team massively as they looked to seal the win.

Joe Willock (for Woltemade, 85') – N/A: Retained the ball well after replacing Woltemade with five minutes to go.

Man City player ratings

Gianluigi Donnarumma – 7: On another day, against another goalkeeper, Woltemade would have surely got on the scoresheet. Donnarunna’s lightning reflexes denied him on three occasions, although he could do nothing about Barnes’ brace.

Matheus Nunes – 6: Was caught napping positionally, almost handing Barnes an early goal when he was left unmarked at the back post. Tidy with the ball at his feet, but offered little direct threat from wide areas.

Josko Gviardiol – 5: Found himself in a physical battle with Woltemade from the outset, one in which the German generally had the upper hand. While his distribution was metronomic, question marks remain over his rashness when playing centrally.

Ruben Dias – 6: Scored the City equaliser, and was responsible for several crucial defensive interventions. However, his poor decision to step out of position was partially to blame for Barnes’s opening strike. A mixed day, overall.

Nico O’Rielly – 6: Not the youngster’s best display in a City shirt. Up against a lively Murphy, he was at fault for some costly errors and wasteful moments in possession.

Bernardo Silva – 6: Struggled at times against the physicality of the Newcastle midfield, especially so in the opening moments. On the ball, his best moment was a second-half snapshot, which whistled just over the bar.

Nico Gonzalez – 7: Comfortable on the ball, but slightly flustered off it. The Spaniard failed to provide adequate protection for the City backline, which was so often left exposed on the counter.

Phil Foden – 5: Before the equaliser, the England international squandered City’s biggest chance – firing just wide of the post after first starting the counter-attack. For all of his invention, his end product in the final third left much to be desired.

Rayan Cherki – 6: Operating on the right, he seemed to drift out of the game for large periods. Lively, but underutilised.

Erling Haaland – 5: Haaland starved of service for the most part, and when he was played through on goal, in the opening moments of the game, his chipped effort was far too tame to trouble Pope.

Jeremy Doku – 7: Was the away side’s biggest threat, playing teammates through on goal on more than one occasion. His influence waned as the game wore on, leading to a late substitution.

Man City subs:

Savinho (for Doku, 76') – 5: Wasted his one big chance in front of goal, blasting his shot over Pope’s crossbar from a tight angle.

Tijjani Reinders (for Silva, 77') – 5: Came on for the final 15 minutes. Taking over corner duties, his two efforts failed to test Pope or the Newcastle backline.

Oscar Bobb (for Cherki, 77') – 6: Lacked his usual directness and inventiveness after his late introduction.

Omar Marmoush (for Foden, 85') – N/A: Replaced Foden with a few minutes to go. His only effort at goal was well blocked.