Newcastle 1-3 Man City: FA Cup gives Magpies tough reminder of gap to top
But it could have been very different.
Newcastle may be feeling the effects of playing with 10 men for so long in their thrilling midweek win over Manchester United.
But Newcastle started their fifth-round tie like a team that has realized that the FA Cup alone is not their best chance of winning silverware this season.
It was also the most obvious route back to Europe at a time when Howe’s side were sitting 12th in the Premier League.
Newcastle quickly got the crowd involved with their energy and intent.
Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford and defender Matheus Nunes uncharacteristically cleared the ball as the home team pressed high.
Perhaps most importantly, Newcastle grabbed the opening goal when Harvey Barnes put his side ahead with a fine curling effort.
It felt like a familiar scenario for Guardiola, who had previously seen Barnes score twice in a 2-1 win against his side at this stadium in November.
“It’s always the first 15, 20 minutes,” he said. “We’re talking about it. We couldn’t control it.”
While the visitors recovered, Newcastle fell deeper and could not get out of their own half.
The Magpies were outplayed by City, who dominated possession and continually made inroads through the home side’s midfield.
“The way they played and how good they were technically, they took possession of the ball,” Howe said.
“When we got it back we gave it away too easily, sometimes we looked too vertical, sometimes we didn’t look horizontal enough.
“When you make a technical mistake, you don’t see the ball for a long time and your energy runs out. That’s why they’ve been the best team for a long time.”
