Newcastle United co-owner delivers verdict on Manchester City defeat with ‘top team’ claim

Newcastle United co-owner Jamie Reuben believes “lots of positives” can be taken from the 1-0 defeat at Premier League champions Manchester City.

After beating Aston Villa 5-1 on the opening day of the season last weekend, Eddie Howe’s side arrived at the Etihad Stadium full of belief that they could take the game to City.

However, the Magpies could barely get out their own half during the opening 45 minutes and fell behind in the 31st minute when Julian Alvarez broke the deadlock.

United improved offensively after the break but ultimately registered just one shot on target through Harvey Barnes as they lost their 14th consecutive league game at the Etihad Stadium.

Providing his verdict after the game, Reuben tweeted: “Tough match against a really top team. lots of positives we can and will take to our next match, another big one.

“Thank you to all the away supporters today for making the trip in support of our team @NUFC#WeAreUnited”.

Meanwhile, Magpies head coach Eddie Howe revealed his disappointment during his post-match press conference.

“Our plan was to go after them like we did in the second half but sometimes in football that happens,” Howe said. “It frustrated me and I’m sure it frustrated the players but much better in the second half. We were much more front foot.

“I have to say, I thought our back four defended really well. We weren’t perfect technically, so there were some transitions and a lot of counter-attacks to defend but I thought we dealt with them really well.

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“I’m sat here disappointed. Our game plan and approach was to try and do that but aware we’re against the best team, in my opinion, world football, which is a real challenge for us.

“I think the main thing for me is I wanted to see a team that reflected our values and our style of play. I felt we saw more of that in the second half. There’s stuff for us to analyse and improve.”

Newcastle host Liverpool at St James’ Park next Sunday (kick-off 4:30pm).