Life without Rodri began awkwardly for Manchester City, who fell to an uncomfortable 1-1 draw with Newcastle United on Saturday.
City were under pressure for large parts of the game but did take the lead through Josko Gvardiol in the first half, only for Anthony Gordon to convert a penalty after the break and earn the Magpies a well-deserved share of the spoils.
How the game unfolded
Newcastle made a lively start to proceedings and showed very little fear in the face of the visitors, but the first half-sight of goal fell to City. Manuel Akanji collected Jack Grealish’s cut-back five minutes in but saw his effort deflected wide.
City controlled possession but looked vulnerable at the back, with Newcastle regularly getting in down the right wing. Jacob Murphy’s devilish cross fizzed past the box, before Kieran Trippier’s strike took the wind out of a lunging Grealish.
Against the run of play, City took the lead with ten minutes remaining in the first half. The lively Grealish got beyond Trippier and played in to Gvardiol, who cut inside Dan Burn and slotted a composed effort into the bottom corner.
Ilkay Gundogan tried to double City’s advantage after Nick Pope’s poor pass but, rather than try and work a two-on-one with Erling Haaland, sent a tame chip into the grateful arms of the retreating Newcastle stopper.
In the dying embers of the first half, Ederson needed to make his first real save to stop a crashing strike from Joelinton, before Harvey Barnes saw his effort deflected wide.
The high tempo of the game continued into the second half and Newcastle were awarded the chance to get back into proceedings when Gordon was tripped by Ederson as he tried to round the City goalkeeper. Gordon stepped up to the spot and made no mistake to tie things up shortly before the hour mark.
Substitute Phil Foden fired straight at Pope as City tried to reclaim their advantage, before a frustrated Haaland skewed a tough header wide at the back post.
Both sides tried until the final whistle to find a winning goal, and Pope had to be alert to make an excellent late save from Bernardo Silva, but there was to be no separating the two teams before the final whistle.
GK: Nick Pope – 6/10 – Wasn’t particularly busy but his poor pass perhaps should have seen City double their advantage late in the first half. A great late save to deny Silva.
RB: Kieran Trippier – 6/10 – Largely impressive, particularly in attack, but was beaten by Grealish for City’s opening goal.
CB: Fabian Schar – 6/10 – Seemed a little too preoccupied with trying to fight Grealish. Often caught out of position.
CB: Dan Burn – 6/10 – Should have done better for Gvardiol’s goal but was a real menace for Haaland throughout. Grew into the game as things progressed.
LB: Lewis Hall – 7/10 – Played some nice passes and was a threat from set-pieces, but struggled to get into dangerous areas in attack. Really smart defensively.
DM: Bruno Guimaraes – 7/10 – Pressed with real energy to help Newcastle win the midfield battle, perhaps even overstepping the line at times. Stepped his game up after the break.
CM: Sandro Tonali – 6/10 – His presence contributed to Newcastle’s midfield overload, but the Italian left a little to be desired. Final ball was missing.
CM: Joelinton – 7/10 – A massive influence at both ends of the field in the first half. His energy was key to Newcastle’s success.
RW: Jacob Murphy – 6/10 – Ran with energy and played a handful of smart crosses, but could never find his man.
ST: Anthony Gordon – 7/10 – Clearly not a natural striker but never stopped running to try and make up for it. Won the penalty and showed real composure to crash home.
LW: Harvey Barnes – 6/10 – Another willing runner. Barnes pressed with serious energy but couldn’t find a way around.
Substitutes
SUB: Joe Willock (77′ for Barnes) – 6/10
SUB: Sean Longstaff (77′ for Tonali) – 6/10
SUB: Tino Livramento (77′ for Trippier) – 6/10
Subs not used: Martin Dubravka (GK), Alex Murphy, Emil Krafth, Lloyd Kelly, Miguel Almiron, Will Osula
Manager
Eddie Howe – 7/10 – Newcastle were not scared of City here. They took the game to Guardiola’s side and a point was the very least they deserved for a brave, structured performance.
GK: Ederson – 6/10 – A smart save to deny Joelinton late in the first half. Couldn’t do a whole lot with the penalty he conceded.
RB: Kyle Walker – 7/10 – Needed all his athleticism to keep up with Barnes and Gordon. Key to City’s defensive efforts.
CB: Ruben Dias – 6/10 – Not always convincing but largely did a solid job of forcing Newcastle out wide.
CB: Manuel Akanji – 6/10 – Stepped forwards into midfield but regularly lost out. Even managed a handful of shots on goal.
LB: Josko Gvardiol – 7/10 – Exposed defensively by City’s early tactics, Gvardiol usually won his battles at the back and then took matters into his own hands with a composed finish up the other end.
DM: Mateo Kovacic – 6/10 – A classy performance with the ball at his feet, completing nearly every pass he attempted, but didn’t exert the level of control City needed when the pressure was on.
DM: Rico Lewis – 6/10 – Got himself into some nice positions and kept things simple, but looked a little nervous when Newcastle’s energetic press came at him.
RM: Bernardo Silva – 5/10 – Pretty quiet. Didn’t get much change out of Hall whatsoever and failed to impact the game.
AM: Ilkay Gundogan – 4/10 – Visibly off the pace. Made a series of poor decisions, including his tame attempt to lob Pope.
LM: Jack Grealish – 7/10 – City’s biggest attacking threat from the first whistle. Smart footwork and a nice pass for Gvardiol’s goal.
ST: Erling Haaland – 5/10 – Picked up a knock on his ankle early on and never looked comfortable. Was more involved defending corners than he was in attack.
Substitutes
SUB: Phil Foden (66′ for Gundogan) – 7/10
SUB: Savinho (81′ for Lewis) – N/A
SUB: Jeremy Doku (81′ for Grealish) – N/A
Subs not used: Stefan Ortega (GK), Scott Carson (GK), John Stones, James McAtee, Matheus Nunes
Manager
Pep Guardiola – 5/10 – Rodri’s absence was sorely felt here as City rarely looked like the world-beaters we know they are. The midfield battle was comfortably won by Newcastle, meaning City never got going.
