Premier League: Newcastle United 1 Manchester City 1
Anthony Gordon celebrated his impending new contract early as he struck from the penalty spot to deny Premier League champions Manchester City victory at Newcastle.
The England international, who revealed before kick-off that he was close to agreeing an improved deal, made no mistake from 12 yards after being brought down by goalkeeper Ederson to cancel out Josko Gvardiol’s first-half opener and ensure it ended 1-1 in front of a crowd of 52,248 at St James’ Park.
City began life without injured midfielder Rodri in confident fashion, but for the second time in a week, had to settle for a point despite taking the lead.
With Mateo Kovacic plugging the sizeable gap left by the Spain midfielder, City set out in determined fashion with Manuel Akanji seeing a fifth-minute shot deflected wide before Erling Haaland forced the game’s first save from Nick Pope after Akanji and Ilkay Gündogan had linked smoothly.
Newcastle’s plan was to sit in and attempt to hit the visitors on the break, but chances to do so were few and far between, although it took a brave 15th-minute block by Jack Grealish to keep Kieran Trippier’s shot away from Ederson’s goal after Bruno Guimaraes and Gordon, deputising as a central striker for the injured Alexander Isak, had fed the ball across to him.
Proceedings became increasingly scrappy as a physical encounter unfolded and it took a fine challenge from Trippier to prevent Erling Haaland from converting Bernardo Silva’s 28th-minute cross at the far post.
However, City went ahead 10 minutes before the break when Grealish left former England team-mate Trippier for dead and picked out full back Gvardiol, who stepped inside Dan Burn before blasting past Pope with the help of a slight deflection off Sandro Tonali, making his first league start since October.
The Magpies’ goalkeeper was relieved to get away with a miscued pass after racing from his line when Gündogan chipped the ball straight to him as he retreated, but it was opposite number Ederson who had to be at his best in stoppage time to keep out Joelinton’s piledriver after Burn had flicked on a Trippier free-kick.
Newcastle were living dangerously as the second half got under way with Silva unable to make the most of Rico Lewis’s instinctive pass into the space vacated by Lewis Hall as he charged upfield, and although Fabian Schär flashed a header across the face of Ederson’s goal, the visitors retained the upper hand.
However, the game was thrown back into the melting pot with 58 minutes gone when, after Ederson had brought down Gordon, who had been sent through by Guimaraes’s through-ball, he picked himself up to send the goalkeeper the wrong way from the spot.
The momentum shifted briefly with the visitors’ defence coming under sustained pressure for the first time, and Gordon might have done better with a 64th-minute cross to the unmarked Harvey Barnes, who was given too much to do beyond the far post.
But Pope had to be on his toes to prevent Haaland from rounding him and was then relieved to see substitute Phil Foden’s snapshot fly straight into his arms and Haaland head wide, while Ederson was happy to see substitute Sean Longstaff drag an attempt wide of the far post with nine minutes remaining.
However, it took a fine reaction save to deny Silva and stoppage-time winner after he had turned smartly and volleyed towards goal, and Haaland’s late header failed to trouble the goalkeeper.
