City already misses Rodri

Without Rodri, Manchester City faces a harsh reality: their characteristic style and dominance are at risk. The absence of the midfielder, who will miss the rest of the season due to a ligament tear, was deeply felt in the match against Newcastle United, to the point that the Manchester team had to settle for a 1-1 draw. After Gvardiol's goal, Gordon equalized with a penalty for the 'Magpies'. This result leaves Pep Guardiola's team with more questions than answers, in addition to the threat of losing their lead in the Premier League.

Manchester City came into the match after drawing last weekend in the Premier League against Arsenal, where Rodri suffered the injury, and after eliminating Watford in the third round of the FA Cup with a 2-1 score. In their next match, they will face Slovan Bratislava, needing a win after drawing at home with Inter Milan in their first game of the new Champions League. Meanwhile, Newcastle, which played in the Champions League last year but missed out on Europe this year, is looking to compete on the continent again. The 'Magpies' came into the match on a great streak, having achieved three consecutive league victories.

From the initial whistle at St James' Park, City failed to find their rhythm. Guardiola chose to line up Rico Lewis and Mateo Kovacic in midfield, with Ilkay Gündogan further forward, but the team failed to impose their characteristic style. Newcastle, fielding a fast and energetic lineup with players like Harvey Barnes, Jacob Murphy, and Anthony Gordon, took the initiative. From the start, the hosts showed aggressive and well-organized play, and City seemed an ineffective team during the first half-hour.

Despite their initial difficulties, City surprisingly opened the scoring in the 35th minute. It was a brilliant play by Jack Grealish who, after dribbling past Kieran Trippier, assisted Josko Gvardiol. The Croatian defender showcased forward-like skills by cutting inside Dan Burn before finishing with a cross shot that left goalkeeper Nick Pope helpless.

However, Gvardiol's goal did not guarantee tranquility for City. Although they managed to dominate for a few minutes after the goal, Newcastle never stopped threatening. In the second half, when Guardiola's team seemed to be in control, a crucial error changed the course of the match. In the 57th minute, Ederson committed a penalty by bringing down Gordon who was alone against the Brazilian goalkeeper. Gordon took responsibility for the execution and calmly equalized.

The pressure increased after the equalizer and both teams began searching for victory. City had some opportunities to regain their lead including a shot from Phil Foden that was too central and another attempt from Bernardo Silva well saved by Pope. Guardiola's team tried hard to recover but failed to score a winning goal making final minutes intense and frantic.

The match ended in a draw leaving Manchester City with more questions than answers. This was City's second consecutive draw opening doors for their chasers in Premier League.