It is not over, but it is harder, from here. If Liverpool do their job at home to Leicester on Wednesday, and there is no reason why they should not, with such a weight off, the gap at the top will be seven points. Not insurmountable, but an advantage that any good team should hope to close out. And Liverpool are a good team. So are Manchester City, but not on Tuesday night. Given every advantage against a struggling Newcastle side, they failed to take the game on, much less the challenge. Credit Rafael Benitez for that, of course. He sets his teams up well and despite the hindrance of conceding after just 24 seconds, ensured his players remained in the game long enough to win it. Newcastle were not lucky, or undeserving. Manchester City did not have too many chances and Newcastle more than matched their intensity. The winning penalty was deserved and the equalising goal every bit as sloppy from City’s perspective as the opener was from Newcastle’s. As the game slipped away, the usually effervescent Pep Guardiola slumped in his seat and sucked on a water bottle, plainly furious. This was one of City’s poorest performances of the season, at a time when they could afford it least. Newcastle, meanwhile, can take great heart from a result that propels them to 14th in the table. They needed it, too, considering the scorelines – Fulham’s revival against Brighton, Burnley’s draw at Old Trafford.
Yet these were the unlikeliest points of all, given City’s form going into this match. They had scored 29 goals without reply across all competitions before this – breaking a record held by Preston North End from Queen Victoria’s day. And when the 30th took just 24 seconds to arrive, few gave Newcastle a prayer of holding out the remaining 89 minutes and 36 seconds without letting in at least one more. The spikiness of their reaction, then – particularly given the difficult circumstances surrounding the club, with mutinous cries against owner Mike Ashley a permanent backdrop – is to be admired. True, in the second half before Newcastle scored, goalkeeper Martin Dubravka had made two impressive saves, from Raheem Sterling and David Silva, but even for the long periods when City led and looked comfortable, Newcastle were not out of it. They should have been, though, given the events in the first minute. The talk pre-match was of Miguel Almiron, a Paraguayan midfield player arriving from Atlanta United for a fee in the region of £20m – a new club record. If reports are correct, he will have his medical in the next 48 hours.
Judging by the first minute, however, reinforcements of any description cannot come soon enough. No doubt Benitez’s gameplan involved keeping it tight against a team that is prolific in front of goal. If so, oh Lordy. It was Manchester City’s fastest goal since Jesus Navas scored after 13 seconds against Tottenham in November 2013 and the fastest of the Premier League season so far. What were Newcastle thinking?
Raheem Sterling floated in a straightforward deep cross from the right. No defender dealt with it and it was left to goalkeeper Dubravka to smother at the far post. It was hard to see whether David Silva bravely stooped in to head the ball back across goal, or lost his footing and gamely improvised. Either way, it had a double whammy effect – the header finding Sergio Aguero and the effort taking Silva into Dubravka and the goalkeeper out of the game. Even that might not have been calamitous had any Newcastle defender been capable of standing up to Aguero. No chance. Benitez looked disgusted. Yet, by the end of the half, so did Guardiola. He probably couldn’t believe it took his team until the 44th minute to get in behind Newcastle again, when Leroy Sane had a header from a Danilo cross cleared off the line. Adding to the frustration would have been an incident in the 17th minute when Sterling was upended and Kevin De Bruyne stood over the free-kick. Referee Paul Tierney may have told him to wait for the whistle, but De Bruyne whipped in a lovely ball that Aguero turned in at the far post. No goal – but to add insult to injury, Tierney then booked De Bruyne for jumping the gun. Quite how the team that had been wronged ended up with a yellow card, and the team that committed the foul received all the time in the world to regroup and repel, is a mystery that football’s authorities should address at the earliest opportunity. In the meantime, Newcastle were slowly coming into it. Ayoze Perez gave City a scare, catching Danilo in possession and haring towards goal, before screwing his low shot wastefully wide. Soon after Salomon Rondon set up Christian Atsu, whose shot was deflected high into the night sky by John Stones, the ball coming to rest on the roof of the City net. Still no upping of the ante from City, which is how, in the 66th minute, Newcastle could equalise. From Guardiola’s point of view, the goal was an utter shambles. A header clear went as far as Isaac Hayden, who returned it with a looping header of his own. City reacted dismally, lacking urgency or appealing fruitlessly for offside. Amid the confusion, Salomon Rondon stayed calm. 
As the ball dropped, he struck it with his right foot, powering it into the ground and on a cold night with a hard surface, sending it over goalkeeper Ederson, in one mighty bounce. Even then, the money was on City. Newcastle’s equaliser would be a wake-up call, teasing the monster out of the champions. There were 24 minutes to go and they had previously only needed 24 seconds. It was show time. Instead, Newcastle scored a second. Fernandinho was caught in possession, panicked and sent Sean Longstaff tumbling. Tierney quite rightly pointed to the spot. Matt Ritchie stepped up to take it but, first, an unwelcome interlude. Ederson required treatment. A real injury? A psychological ploy? Who knew?
The wait must have seemed interminable, not just here at St James’ Park but over on Merseyside, the time and tension as Ritchie stood over the ball with Newcastle, and Liverpool, fans waiting for the denouement must have stretched across an agonising age. If Ritchie scored, and Newcastle held on, January 29, 2019, could become the day Liverpool’s first Premier League title at last felt like reality. And score, he did. Ritchie held his nerve and slipped the ball under Ederson, to his right. City stumbled when it was least expected. This was supposed to be the match in which they shifted the pressure to Liverpool. Played first, won, and closed the gap to a single point. Over to you, Jurgen. Instead, it was City that were found wanting; and may not get the chance to close again. Photo Credit:Getty
