Manchester City kicked off their league season with a good 2-0 win at Newcastle United on Sunday afternoon. It was far from the best performance you’re likely to see from City this season, but they got the job done and got the three points thanks to goals from David Silva and Sergio Agüero after he came on as a substitute. After the Community Shield performance a week ago some of City’s players needed a boost of confidence and this win on a tough ground will have done just that.
The City lineup was much changed from last week’s Wembley wobble, with Kompany, Kolarov and so on playing from the off. However, neither Pablo Zabaleta or Bacary Sagna were really fit to start, so Clichy continued to play on the right side defence, a position that isn’t exactly his best. Joe Hart was also chosen over new signing Willy Caballero in goal and will likely remain there – for now anyway. With some players still missing, a partnership of Džeko and Jovetić started up front for the Blues.
Some of Newcastle’s big summer signings were in the starting eleven, despite some like Siem De Jong missing through injury. There were debuts for Janmaat, Cabella, Jack Colback, Rivière and eventually Rolando Aarons and Ayoze Perez from the bench. The improvements these players brought to the side were clear as the caused the visitors some problems on the opening day.
Before the game there were tributes paid to Liam Sweeney and John Alder, two Newcastle fans who died when Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down last month. These tributes included wreaths from both teams, Sunderland legend and ex-goalkeeper Jimmy Montgomery and a minute’s silence. Manchester City fans also brought a banner paying their respects.
Early on in the game City had good chances to go in front, pulling good early saves from goalkeeper Tim Krul after shots from Džeko and then Samir Nasri. The Magpies made much of their forward play on the counter attack until they worked their way into the game, retaining possession much better and starting to cause City some problems, especially from set pieces.
Eventually however, it was the visitors who made the breakthrough. A long ball over the top was met by Edin Džeko in the left-hand side of the Newcastle box, with players surrounding him. With a backheel first-time touch that seemed almost too out of place to have come from the Bosnian, he set up David Silva who had made a run into the box behind him; the Spaniard then calmly slotted home underneath Krul.
After going in at the break behind, Alan Pardew sent his Magpies side back out to attack the City goal almost relentlessly. Indeed, The Citizens spent long periods of time unable to get out of their own half and having to resort to long balls towards the strikers. Newcastle had some of their best chances during this period, with Ayoze Perez coming close; the shot may have sneaked past Joe Hart if not for a vital deflection of Kompany. Sissoko also had a good chance from the edge of the area, but put his shot over the top.
Those missed chances would come back to haunt Newcastle later on in injury time. Sergio Agüero, on as a sub for the final 10 minutes, was released by a good pass, leaving him up against Coloccini. Running further and further wide as he searched for a clear shot at goal, he got to the left-hand side of the box before releasing a shot that Krul kept out. However, now unmarked with Coloccini’s momentum having carried him out of the play, Agüero got back to his feet in an instant and curled the rebound past an unlucky Krul, who got a touch.
It wasn’t the best performance you’ll ever see from a Manuel Pellegrini side but the important thing is that they got the three points that now see them go top of the Premier League on goal difference. Having picked up no injuries, City will look forward to the visit of Liverpool a week on Monday, knowing that Eliaquim Mangala is likely to make his debut in that game. Newcastle will also be able to look forward positively; they weren’t bad in any sense of the word today, they were just unlucky, with the chances not falling for them but for their opponents. Not that Manuel Pellegrini will mind.
