Match Report and Player Ratings: Newcastle United 1-0 Manchester City (Carabao Cup Third Round)

Manchester City bowed out of the Carabao Cup after a 1-0 loss to Newcastle United in the third round at St James’ Park.

Pep Guardiola’s side kicked off this fixture in the usual dominating fashion, passing the ball well around the Newcastle final third, and creating a series of early chances on Tyneside, however an Alexander Isak strike early into the second-half proved the difference on Wednesday evening.

Despite the Sky Blues having most of the possession, Eddie Howe’s side looked dangerous on the counter-attack through the Swede, as summer signing Josko Gvardiol proved his worth in the 10th minute, dispossessing the forward, who was bearing down on goal.

Manchester City’s first shot on target came from World Cup winner Julian Alvarez after he was played through by Oscar Bobb – making his first team debut on Wednesday night.

The young winger played through Alvarez who fired the ball to Pope’s left, but the goalkeeper used his six-foot-seven frame to stop the ball with an outstretched leg.

City began moving up the gears after a slow start and were piling on the pressure towards the end of the first-half, as Jack Grealish found himself running through the Newcastle defence before a well-timed challenge from Paul Dummett stopped the Englishman.

The best chance of the half came from the home side through Jacob Murphy however, forcing a superb save from Stefan Ortega, after a high press from Newcastle saw Phillips dispossessed and Murphy played through on goal.

The first-half ended 0-0, and Newcastle started the second half on top, as Isak gave the hosts the lead in the 53rd minute, following a controlled spell of possession from the home side.

Joelinton drove into the Manchester City penalty area and fired the ball across the face of Ortega’s goal for Isak to tap in at the back post, with St James’ Park erupting and Newcastle taking a surprise 1-0 lead.

Tempers started to flare as the Blues went in search of an equaliser, with Manuel Akanji and Kalvin Phillips picking up yellow cards as the home side started to take control of the tie.

Guardiola introduced trio Jeremy Doku, Matheus Nunes and Phil Foden to increase the tempo, but despite these changes, City failed to create any clear-cut chances, with the only notable effort coming from Rico Lewis, who fired a shot just wide of the post from the edge of the box.

#ManCity are out of the #CarabaoCup in the third round. pic.twitter.com/YgpsyYP7GT

— City Xtra (@City_Xtra) September 27, 2023

Player Ratings:

Ortega – 7

Made a great save against Jacob Murphy in the first-half and didn’t have much to do for the rest of the game. Can’t be blamed for the goal.

Rico Lewis – 5.5

Worked well alongside Oscar Bobb on the right and stepped into midfield against Joelinton, but struggled in the second-half.

Nathan Ake – 6

Comfortable on the ball. Had a decent game before getting replaced in the 68th minute. Left side was weak offensively however.

Josko Gvardiol – 7

Solid at the back. Stopped a lot of the Newcastle counter-attacks and posed a threat when up for set pieces.

Manuel Akanji – 6

Good on the ball, but was one of the few who lost their temper and picked up a cheap yellow card.

Kalvin Phillips – 5

Struggled in the midfield during the second-half, with the Newcastle press getting the better of the Englishman on a number of occasions. The 27-year-old was also cheaply dispossessed on several occasions.

Sergio Gomez -5

Had no real impact on the game. Struggled in the midfield and got overpowered.

Oscar Bobb – 8 (MOTM)

Dynamic, quick, a real spark in the side. Caused Newcastle stress and danced past the defenders in the first-half, although a bit quiet in the second-half.

Mateo Kovacic – 6

Didn’t impact the game very much. The Newcastle defence handled him quite well and he struggled defensively.

Jack Grealish – 5

Really struggled against Livramento and got no joy from him. Won a few free kicks but failed to create anything.

Alvarez -5.5

Had a quiet game, with few chances, but failed to convert a decent opening in the first-half.

Substitutes:

Jeremy Doku – N/A

Matheus Nunes – N/A

Phil Foden – N/A