Manchester City showed their fighting spirit as they came from behind to beat Newcastle United 3-2 in a thrilling Premier League clash at St James’ Park, thanks to a stoppage-time winner from Oscar Bobb.
The visitors, who had lost their first-choice goalkeeper Ederson to injury early on, took the lead through a brilliant backheel from Bernardo Silva, but were stunned by two quick goals from Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon, who both scored with stunning curling shots.
City looked to be heading for a costly draw until their talisman Kevin De Bruyne, who had missed most of the season with a hamstring problem, came off the bench and changed the game. The Belgian equalised with a powerful strike from the edge of the box, before setting up Bobb with a sublime lofted pass that the young Norwegian controlled and finished with aplomb.
The dramatic victory moved City within two points of leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand, and kept their hopes of a fourth consecutive title alive. Newcastle, meanwhile, remained in the relegation zone, having lost their fourth game in a row.
City manager Pep Guardiola praised his team’s character and resilience, while also hailing the impact of De Bruyne and Bobb. “It was a very tough game, Newcastle played very well and defended with a lot of intensity. We had to dig deep and show our quality and desire. Kevin and Oscar made the difference, they are both fantastic players and I’m very happy for them.”
Newcastle boss Steve Bruce lamented his side’s misfortune and praised their performance, but also admitted that they need to improve their results soon. “We were very close to getting a point against one of the best teams in the world, and I can’t fault the effort and commitment of the players.
But we were unlucky at the end, and we have to accept it and move on. We need to start picking up points, because we are in a difficult situation.”
