Man City vs Newcastle LIVE: Premier League result and reaction as Julian Alvarez scores winner

Manchester City 1-0 Newcastle: Julian Alvarez’s first-half goal proves enough for City to grab a second win to start the season

"Newcastle can be title contenders" - City boss Guardiola

Julian Alvarez’s fine first-half strike handed Manchester City a hard-fought 1-0 win over Newcastle United in their first home match since winning the treble.

The World Cup winner curled a shot into the top corner after 31 minutes of a tight Premier League encounter at the Etihad Stadium and it proved enough for the champions to claim all three points.

Newcastle, buoyed by thrashing Aston Villa 5-1 in their season opener last week, had travelled in hope of claiming their first league win at City for almost 23 years. Yet the hosts, despite making just two changes following their draining European Super Cup venture in Athens in midweek, were too strong and successfully nullified Eddie Howe’s side.

Pep Guardiola’s men were far from their fluid best, but they produced a professional performance to follow up their opening win at Burnley and in Alvarez and Phil Foden they had the brightest players on the pitch.

Relive the action from the Premier League match below.

Man City vs Newcastle - Premier League updates

• Man City beat Newcastle 1-0 in the Premier League
• Julian Alvarez’s first-half goal enough for victory
• REPORT: Man City’s stand-ins step up again and send message to the rest
• FULL-TIME! Man City 1-0 Newcastle
• 31’ - GOAL! Alvarez curls home the opener (MCI 1-0 NEW)
• City started the season with a comfortable win over Burnley and beat Sevilla in the Super Cup in midweek

[19 August 2023 22:22 · Luke Baker]

Man City’s stand-ins step up again and send message to the rest

Take three talismanic attacking midfielders out of a treble-winning team and even Manchester City might struggle. Or so the theory went, anyway. Even as they paraded the trio of trophies they secured last season, it was in the absence of a triumvirate with rare and complementary gifts, in the departed Ilkay Gundogan, the injured Kevin de Bruyne and the ill Bernardo Silva. And yet as they overcame the opening weekend’s most impressive side, the rising force, perhaps the pretenders to their crown, it was their replacements who proved decisive.

Mateo Kovacic to Phil Foden to Julian Alvarez. Goal. Newcastle were defeated and, even at this early stage, it could be a six-pointer of a strike. Kovacic was the first summer signing, Foden and Alvarez the world-class talent and World Cup winner who started finals on the bench last season, the deluxe deputies waiting for an opportunity, and then seizing it.

Richard Jolly’s report from the Etihad:

[19 August 2023 22:15 · Luke Baker]

Man City 1-0 Newcastle

Manuel Akanji discusses City’s win over Newcastle

[19 August 2023 22:14 · Luke Baker]

FULL-TIME! Man City 1-0 Newcastle

Here was the only goal of the game. A lovely finish by Alvarez and it was enough to secure all three points in the end.

[19 August 2023 21:58 · Luke Baker]

FULL-TIME! Man City 1-0 Newcastle

And it’s all over! Job done for City as Alvarez’s first-half goal gives them a 1-0 triumph. They’re good value for it, in truth.

(EPA)

[19 August 2023 21:56 · Luke Baker]

Man City 1-0 Newcastle

90+4 mins: Haaland tries to keep the ball in the corner and eventually wins a corner. Newcastle then finally earn a goal-kick with 60 seconds left. One last chance?

[19 August 2023 21:55 · Luke Baker]

Man City 1-0 Newcastle

90+2 mins: City having all of the ball and keeping it in Newcastle’s half. Ideal when you’re nursing a 1-0 lead.

[19 August 2023 21:53 · Luke Baker]

Man City 1-0 Newcastle

90 mins: Five minutes of injury-time. Five minutes for Newcastle to try and fashion an equaliser.

[19 August 2023 21:52 · Luke Baker]

SAVE! Man City 1-0 Newcastle

89 mins: Another counter, led by Haaland this time and he slips in Foden overlapping on the right. Tight angle but he tries to fire the ball into the far corner and Pope sticks out a leg to tip it wide for a corner. May have been going wide anyway but Pope couldn’t be sure.

The corner comes to nothing.

[19 August 2023 21:51 · Luke Baker]

Man City 1-0 Newcastle

88 mins: City pour forward on the counter, Alvarez slips the ball across to Foden who has Walker roaring past him ont he overlap but he shoots instead and it’s blocked. The chance goes and Newcastle are still in this at only 1-0 down.

[19 August 2023 21:49 · Luke Baker]

Man City 1-0 Newcastle

86 mins: Sven Botman off and on for his Newcastle debut is Tino Livramento. The England U21 international was brilliant for Southampton two years ago but then suffered a knee injury that kept him out for over a year.

He returned in May and then joined Newcastle for around £30m this summer. A great moment for him to make his debut.