Newcastle gave the champions their guard of honor, then went out and gave them a heck of a game, scoring two penalties but losing to a Ferran Torres hat trick in a 4-3 loss to Manchester City on Friday at St. James’ Park.
It was a weird day for defenders at St. James’ Park, as Emil Krafth scored for Newcastle and Joao Cancelo for Man City but a pair of the hosts’ back liners conceded penalties and there were six goals in the first 64 minutes.
Man City moves onto 83 points, 13 ahead of second-place Manchester United.
WATCH NEWCASTLE – MANCHESTER CITY FULL MATCH REPLAY STREAM
Joelinton and Joe Willock both also scored for the Magpies, whose 39 points keep them 16th on the Premier League table.
Man City goalkeeper Scott Carson made his first Premier League start in 10 years and stopped Willock’s penalty but saw the Arsenal loanee deposit the rebound.
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Three things we learned from Newcastle - Man City
1. Newcastle defenders attack! Krafth’s goal made him the fifth Newcastle defender to score this season, and the rare marker gave him not just his first Magpies goal but allows him to claim goals for clubs in four countries at age 26: England, Italy (Bologna), France (Amiens), and Sweden (Helsingborgs and Osters). Cancelo, of course, also scored, but this is about the Magpies. Newcastle also had nine defenders score goals in the 2019-20 Premier League season
2. Defenders attacked! Man City entered the day with 26 goals conceded through 35 matches, allowing two-or-more goals just five times and only once giving up more (Sept. 27’s 5-2 loss to Leicester City). So raise your hand If you had Newcastle scoring three on the champs? More hands will be raised if you made that question about Man City scoring four, but it was a fun show nonetheless.
3. Good entertainment: Man City’s already won the league and Newcastle is safe, so of course the Magpies nearly used this opportunity to collect an unlikely point and more unlikely record. Steve Bruce, just named Premier League Manager of the Month for the first time in his 900-year career, almost kept Man City from beating Newcastle during a single season for the first time since the 2004-05 season. He’ll have wanted that record but will instead be quite happy with the showing from his often-tepid attack.
Man of the Match: Ferran Torres -- For the audacious first goal of his hat trick alone!
Newcastle - Man City recap
City set up shop in the Newcastle third and got to work, but the Magpies stayed tight to their men and the movement to keep it scoreless over a quarter-hour.
So of course it was Newcastle who’d go in front. Allan Saint-Maximin led a rush that cued up Joelinton for a shot Kyle Walker blocked out for a corner, and Krafth rose high to thump a header past Scott Carson.
Cancelo’s 39th-minute shot took a wicked turn off of Jacob Murphy’s leg to defy Martin Dubravka and tie the score.
Torres was the first man in the line of players positioned for a free kick when he put City up 2-1, adjusting his body and to flick his back leg at the set piece service, sending the ball looping past Martin Dubravka.
But hoooold on!
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Joelinton won and converted a penalty after VAR overturned a wrongly-given offside that stopped Kevin Friend from awarding a penalty.
The second half then saw Newcastle sent to the spot again when Joe Willock skipped past Eric Garcia and Kyle Walker took down the Arsenal loanee. Willock saw his shot saved by 35-year-old Scott Carson, making his first Premier League start in 10 years, but Willock was first to the rebound.
Torres then restored the deadlock at 3-3 before delivering the winner. Wow.