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Manchester City drew 3-3 with Newcastle United in the Premier League on Sunday, August 21.
The Magpies came into this contest having beaten Nottingham Forest and being held to a goalless by Brighton in their last two games. Eddie Howe's men were keen to put in a strong performance against the defending champions in front of their own fans.
City, on the other hand, were one of only two teams with a perfect record after game week 2. They defeated West Ham United and Bournemouth in the opening two games of the season. Pep Guardiola stuck with the same lineup as his side aimed for a third-straight win.
Manchester City kept possession of the ball for the majority of the time, as was expected of them. They were successful in frustrating Newcastle's players, drawing reckless tackles and irritated reactions from them.
City scored the first goal of the game through Ilkay Gundogan, who was in the right place at the right time once again. Bernardo Silva provided the assist for the goal. However, their spell of dominance seemingly ended right after they grabbed the lead.
Newcastle played with character and determination, even allowing Manchester City just 6% possession during a five-minute spell after going a goal down. Their effort paid off as Miguel Almiron equalized after 28 minutes. Allan Saint-Maximin provided the assist for the goal.
The Frenchman was on-song as he continued to cause problems for City's backline. He provided another smart assist, this time for Callum Wilson to double Newcastle's lead after 39 minutes. Pep Guardiola's men looked rattled as their game dropped off significantly as they trailed heading into the break.
Both teams came out for the second half with the same intensity and vigor they played with in the first period.
Newcastle added to their lead after 54 minutes via a stunning free kick by Kieran Trippier. The Englishman struck the ball sweetly into the top-left corner from distance. The Magpies looked comfortable with a two-goal cushion, but not for long.
Erling Haaland was presented with an opportunity to run into open space following a pass by Rodri. The Norwegian muscled his way through before unleashing an accurate shot to make it 3-2 at the hour-mark. City equalized just four minutes later as Kevin De Bruyne played a peach of a pass to Bernardo Silva, who calmly slotted it past Nick Pope.
It was a dramatic moment in the closing stages as the referee showed Trippier a straight red card for a knee-high tackle on De Bruyne. However, following a VAR review, the incident appeared much less serious than it looked in full speed and was reversed.
Eddie Howe made multiple changes to give his side an extra edge going into the final 10 minutes. The hosts fought back against Manchester City to hold on and take home a point from an enthralling end-to-end contest.
With that said, let's take a look at City's detailed performance from the game.
Manchester City Player Ratings
Ederson - 6/10
Ederson made a decent start to the game and was caught off-guard for both of Newcastle's goals in the first half. He was also unlucky to concede from a perfect free kick by Trippier. He made two saves during the game and punched the ball clear once.
Kyle Walker - 6/10
Walker's flank was surprisingly targeted by Newcastle's forwards as most of their attacks were down the left channel. He won six of his 10 duels and played four accurate long balls. He also completed three successful dribbles.
John Stones - 6/10
Stones made a decent start to the game. He was lucky to get away with what was a reckless barge into Fabian Schar in City's box. He won two of his three ground duels and played four accurate long balls. Stones was also shown a yellow card.
Nathan Ake - 6/10
Nathan Ake made a decent start to the game but unfortunately suffered an injury and had to be subbed off.
Joao Cancelo - 7/10
Cancelo made a frantic start to the game as he was often caught off guard by Miguel Almiron's pace. He received a yellow card early in the game for a cynical tackle. He won six of his nine duels and played six accurate long balls.
Kevin De Bruyne - 8.5/10
De Bruyne looked composed on the ball, distributing it well. However, his passing lacked the directness Manchester City needed to break Newcastle's lines early on. That changed in the second half. The Belgian provided a wonderful assist for Bernardo Silva to equalize from.
Rodri - 7.5/10
Rodri struggled to get a foothold in the center of the park. He passed the ball with 90% accuracy, including one key pass and four long balls. He also created one big chance. Rodri also won seven of his 10 duels during the game.
Ilkay Gundogan - 8/10
Gundogan made a blistering start to the game, giving Manchester City the lead after just five minutes. He passed the ball with 85% accuracy, including four key passes and two long balls. He attempted three shots, scoring from his only shot on target while the others were blocked.
Bernardo Silva - 8/10
Bernardo Silva looked sharp on the right flank and used his agility and bursts of pace to beat his markers. He provided an assist for City's opener. He also scored a goal in the second half to draw Manchester City level at 3-3.
Erling Haaland - 7/10
Haaland seldom found himself with space in front of him to run into, but made the most of his limited opportunities. With one of the few chances he got, Haaland used his power to muscle past defenders and score to make it 3-2 in the second period.
Phil Foden - 7/10
Foden was electric on the ball and made things happen with his driving runs and movement off the ball. He passed the ball with 90% accuracy, including two crosses and one long ball. He also won six of his nine duels.
Substitutes
Ruben Dias - 6.5/10
Dias was Manchester City's only substitute of the game. He came on in the first half to replace the injured Ake. He won four of his nine duels and passed the ball with 92% accuracy.
