The Portuguese midfielder entered the fray midway through the second half, with Pep Guardiola’s men a goal to the good thanks to Phil Foden’s solo effort.
Bernardo’s impact was instant, firing home from Erling Haaland’s flick to double our advantage with one of his first touches.
And in a game where the visitors pushed City to our limits, Goater explained how the midfielder was able to influence proceedings both on and off the ball.
“Right off the mark, he [Bernardo Silva] goes and presses,” the former City striker explained on Matchday Live following the victory.
“We spoke about him pre-game and what he brings, he’s able to keep possession but if you want to change the momentum of a game in terms of pressing then Bernardo Silva is your go-to.
“He has bags of energy to be able to step forward and go: ‘right, I’m going to press, who’s backing me up’.
“It gave us a different element.”
As Goater alluded to, City were made to work for our latest three points, which extended our unbeaten run to seven matches in all competitions.
Joelinton and Callum Wilson both squandered gilt-edged chances for Newcastle, while a timely sliding challenge from Nathan Ake also prevented Sean Longstaff from getting the visitors on the scoresheet in the first half.
However, the former City forward was proud of how Pep Guardiola’s men stood up to the sizeable challenge that the visitors presented.
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He said: “I liked the fact that if we want to get tough, the players are there.
“I think a club and a team is a reflection of the manager. We know Pep Guardiola never wants to have altercations but there are times on the pitch where you can’t avoid it and need to stand up.
“Every now and then we have the players saying: ‘if you want to mix it, let’s mix it’. I think it shows the team spirit as well.”
