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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9. Joelinton - 4
Almost gifted City an opener before being caught out for Alvarez’s opener. A second half injury capped off a frustrating evening for the Brazilan. | Getty Images
10. Anthony Gordon - 5
Plenty of energy but his attacking involvement was limited. Walked a tight rope from 23 minutes after being booked for a challenge on Ruben Dias. | AFP via Getty Images
11. Miguel Almiron - 5
Saw his fair of the ball in some really promising positions down the right but so wasteful. | Getty Images
12. Alexander Isak - 5.5
Showed one moment of quality with a lovely bit of skill in the middle to set Gordon away down the left. Barely got a sniff otherwise. | Getty Images