Newcastle 3-3 Manchester City: Main Talking Points From A Thriller At St. James’ Park

In what will be remembered as a real Premier League classic on Sunday afternoon, Newcastle and Manchester City played out a thrilling 3-3 draw at St. James’ Park.

Despite taking an early first-half lead thanks to İlkay Gundogan’s close finish, Eddie Howe’s side mounted a stunning comeback on home soil as they stormed their way to a 3-1 lead minutes after the restart.

Watching Miguel Almirón, Callum Wilson and Kieran Trippier all get themselves on the scoresheet, it was then City’s turn to mount their own stellar turnaround.

Eventually leaving the north east with a point to show for their troubles as Erling Haaland and Bernardo Silva bagged a quickfire brace just after the hour mark, neutrals couldn’t have wished for a more enjoyable affair at St. James’.

In a showdown that saw chances and controversy at both ends of the pitch, we have taken a look at the main talking points.

A roller coaster afternoon for Pep

Opening the 2022/23 campaign with back-to-back victories against West Ham and Bournemouth, Manchester City couldn’t have wished for a better start to proceedings.

After watching Gundogan open the scoring with just five minutes on the clock and silence the St. James’ Park crowd, it appeared that Pep Guardiola’s side were cruising their way to three Premier League wins on the spin.

However, left stunned in the north east as they found themselves 3-1 down and facing a real uphill struggle, the one-time Bayern Munich boss did see his men show some much-needed resolve.

Eventually managing to leave with a hard-fought point away from the Etihad, City’s late rally was almost identical to their iconic final weekend comeback against Aston Villa on May 22nd.

Although Guardiola might have been quick to praise his side’s character here, there is no doubt that the 51-year-old will be feeling like he missed out on a golden chance.

Defending their Premier League title thanks to a one-point buffer over Liverpool last season, the Sky Blues will now be hoping to find some defensive resolve and prove this was just a minor blip.

Shocking many as Guardiola made the choice to leave Ruben Dias on the bench, City will be next seen in six days time when they welcome Crystal Palace to Manchester.

Newcastle planning a European charge

While Newcastle might have been disappointed to have played out a toothless 0-0 stalemate against Brighton last weekend, Howe’s side certainly came roaring back here.

Backed by a vocal home support at St. James’ Park, the former Bournemouth boss saw his side put in a stellar display that would have laid down a real marker up and down the Premier League.

Although the Magpies might have been disappointed to have eventually thrown away their 3-1 lead on Sunday afternoon, there are only a string of positives for Howe and his high-flying squad.

Opening the 2022/23 campaign with a 2-0 victory against top-flight returners Nottingham Forest, Newcastle are unbeaten in each of their opening three Premier League appearances.

More than deserving of their rugged point against the English heavyweights here, fans around St. James’ Park have also seen their summer arrivals make an immediate impact.

With England international Nick Pope once again putting in a stellar display between the sticks, Sunday’s hosts now have their sights set on mounting a genuine European charge this season.

Only continuing on a real rise since they welcomed Howe to the north east nine months ago, Newcastle and their new owners aren’t wasting any time in making their intentions clear.

Haaland & Wilson at their clinical best

While Erling Haaland might have been met by a resilient Pope on Sunday afternoon, Manchester City’s latest attacking icon appears to be enjoying life in England’s top-flight.

Making the move to Manchester after Guardiola’s side activated the 21-year-old’s £51.5million release clause, the former Borussia Dortmund superstar caused Newcastle a string of problems here.

Opening his Premier League account with a brace in City’s 2-0 victory away at West Ham on the opening weekend, Haaland has struck up an immediate relationship with Belgium international Kevin De Bruyne.

With three top-flight goals to his name, Haaland also appears to be the leading contender in the race for this season’s Golden Boot.

Although Haaland might have stollen plenty of headlines since arriving at the Etihad this summer, Newcastle have their own attacking talisman who has enjoyed a blistering start to the new campaign.

While the Magpies might have skyrocketed themselves away from any kind of relegation scrap when Howe arrived at St. James’ Park back in November, they were hindered by Wilson’s extended injury issues.

However, enjoying a full pre-season in the north east and handed Newcastle’s captain’s armband, the ex-Bournemouth striker has already racked up two Premier League strikes so far.

Cementing his spot as Howe’s number one choice and arguably in the form of his life, Wilson could have one eye on clinching a place in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for November’s World Cup finals.

Match Report:

Newcastle: Pope, Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn, Willock, Guimaraes, Joelinton, Almiron, Wilson, Saint-Maximin

Subs: Krafth, Longstaff, Murphy, Wood

Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Ake, Cancelo, De Bruyne, Rodri, Gundogan, Silva, Haaland, Foden

Subs: Dias

Goals: Newcastle: Almiron (28′), Wilson (39′), Trippier (54′) – Manchester City: Gundogan (5′), Haaland (60′), Silva (64′)

Yellow Cards: Newcastle: Trippier, Guimaraes, Schar, Joelinton – Manchester City: Cancelo, Stones

Red Cards: N/A

Referee: Jarred Gillett