A spectacular Julian Alvarez strike was enough to earn the three points at the Etihad Stadium, as we maintained our 100% start to the campaign and built on Wednesday’s Super Cup triumph in the process.
Pep Guardiola’s men also set a new Club record with what was our 17th consecutive victory on home soil in all competitions, stretching back to January 2023.
Check out the best stats from our win over the Magpies below…
Home is where the heart is
City continued our phenomenal record on home soil with our latest triumph.
It’s now a record 17 wins in a row at the Etihad, with 11 of those coming in the Premier League.
Indeed, the last time we failed to claim maximum points on home soil was on 31 December 2022, when Everton earned a 1-1 draw.
The only time where we have strung together a longer league winning sequence at the Etihad Stadium was between September 2017 and March 2018, when Pep Guardiola’s men won 14 on the spin.
Fantastic Mr. Foden
Phil Foden was perhaps our standout performer against Newcastle, often drifting into central areas from out wide to play a vital role in our attack.
Indeed, it was the England international who found Alvarez for what proved to be the only goal of the game, and his first assist of the new season.
The 23-year-old created seven chances from open play for City on Saturday evening, the most he’s produced in a single Premier League match.
Foden has made 131 appearances so far in the English top flight, and his performance against the Magpies certainly ranks highly among them.
The above graphic demonstrates his influence across the pitch, spread particularly wide in the attacking third.
El Arana
A typically clinical finish from Alvarez proved the difference at the Etihad Stadium, and his strike continued a phenomenal scoring record when the Argentine has been named in the starting XI.
Having moved to City from River Plate in the summer of 2022, Alvarez has started 26 matches in all competitions for Pep Guardiola’s men.
In that time, he’s been directly involved in 20 goals, finding the net 15 times and providing five assists.
His latest strike was the culmination of a typically intricate team move from Pep Guardiola‘s men.
Defensive diligence
While City’s attacking threats rightly gain plenty of plaudits, our defensive discipline was equally important in limiting a dangerous Newcastle side at the Etihad Stadium.
The Magpies had cruised to a 5-1 victory in their opening Premier League fixture, but recorded just one shot on target on Saturday evening.
It was their joint-fewest in a Premier League game since Eddie Howe he took over as manager in November 2021.
On that occasion, they played out a goalless draw with Arsenal in January of this year.
