Manchester City edged closer to Premier League leaders Arsenal with a tense 2-1 victory over Newcastle United at the Etihad Stadium today.
Pep Guardiola’s team was eager to take advantage of Arsenal’s dropped points earlier in the week, and they managed to secure a crucial win to keep the pressure on the leaders.
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City started the match with urgency, and their efforts paid off in the first 15 minutes when Nico O’Reilly scored.
Omar Marmoush surged forward from midfield and set up O’Reilly, who struck low past Nick Pope. The goalkeeper got a hand to the shot but couldn’t prevent the goal.
Newcastle quickly bounced back, despite the fatigue from their midweek European match. They equalized shortly after when Lewis Hall collected the ball from a corner and unleashed a shot that deflected off Rayan Ait-Nouri, wrong-footing Gianluigi Donnarumma on its way into the net.
The equalizer unsettled City momentarily, but they regained their composure before the half-hour mark.
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Erling Haaland made a run down the right and sent in an accurate cross to the far post, where O’Reilly rose to powerfully head it back across Pope and into the corner.
It was a deft finish from the midfielder, whose intelligent movement consistently troubled Newcastle’s defense.
City took their lead into halftime but found it hard to extend it after the break. Newcastle remained competitive and had a goal by Dan Burn disallowed for offside.
In the closing moments, the visitors pushed forward in search of an equalizer.
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City kept creating opportunities, but Pope made crucial saves to deny both Haaland and Phil Foden.
The tension in the Etihad reached a peak in stoppage time when Harvey Barnes found space in the area.
Donnarumma reacted swiftly to parry away Barnes’ low shot, safeguarding City’s slender lead in the final moments.
The final whistle brought visible relief to Guardiola and his players.
This victory reinforces City’s impressive home record against Newcastle and sustains their momentum in the title chase.
Arsenal now finds themselves glancing over their shoulders as the gap narrows, realizing that City is building momentum at a crucial point in the season.
The message is clear—City is firmly back in contention and poised to apply sustained pressure in the weeks ahead.