Newcastle United suffered a 1-0 defeat at Premier League champions Manchester City following Julian Alvarez’s first-half opener.
Magpies head coach Eddie Howe named an unchanged starting XI from the 5-1 opening day win over Aston Villa with the only difference being on the bench as Matt Ritchie replaced Jacob Murphy.
Newcastle struggled to impose their pressing style on Man City in the first-half and could have no complaints when Alvarez handed the hosts the lead in the 31st minute.
Following the introduction of Harvey Barnes, Callum Wilson and Elliot Anderson in the second half, United threatened a response but fell to their first defeat of the 2023-24 season.
Here’s our Newcastle player ratings from the Etihad Stadium.
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5. Sven Botman - 7
Relished the physical battle with Haaland and did well aerially. However, there were occasions when Botman couldn’t cope with the Norwegian’s pace and movement. | AFP via Getty Images
6. Dan Burn - 6
Tough first-half up against Phil Foden but improved after the break. | Getty Images
7. Bruno Guimaraes - 6
Saw more of the ball in the second half but didn’t quite have the accuracy in his passing. | AFP via Getty Images
8. Sandro Tonali - 6
Was unable to dominate the midfield like he did against Villa, which is no surprise given the opposition. Had a couple of bright moments in possession, but not enough. | Getty Images