A bad Saturday evening in Newcastle for Man City

Newcastle United 2 - 1 Manchester City

Harvey Barnes delivered a standout performance as City were edged out by Newcastle United 

Author | Macca

Stadium | St James' Park

Pre-match view from the away end

Barnes, who had set the tone with the opener, struck again from close range to seal the win in front of a buoyant crowd in Newcastle.

City had briefly drawn level when Ruben Dias' shot diverted off Fabian Schar after Newcastle were unable to deal with a corner.

The hosts responded with purpose, regaining their advantage only minutes later to cap an enthralling contest.

Haaland draws a very rare blank

This felt like a chance squandered for City and a frustrating afternoon for the normally ruthless Haaland. Defeat leaves them third in the table, unable to make up ground on leaders Arsenal, who face Tottenham in the north London derby on Sunday.

Haaland arrived buoyed by Norway's qualification for next year's World Cup, having taken his tally to 32 goals in 20 appearances for club and country this season.

Newcastle defended well for most of the match

The 25-year-old remains on 99 Premier League goals after an uncharacteristically wasteful display. His best early opening came when Pope charged from his line and Haaland opted to shoot rather than round the goalkeeper. Another first-time attempt from close range went straight at Pope, who later gathered a weak header as Haaland failed to score for only the third time this season after blank outings against Tottenham and Aston Villa.

Barnes' decisive goal was confirmed only after a lengthy VAR check, with Craig Pawson taking close to five minutes to give the all clear. Initial replays did not show the offside lines, though a later still image suggested Guimaraes had been onside.

Interesting stat 

City have now lost four of their first 12 league games, their worst start to a Premier League campaign since 2013–14. It is also the first time a Pep Guardiola team has suffered as many defeats at this stage of a season in his managerial caree