Julian Alvarez fired Manchester City into a first-half lead against Newcastle at the Etihad Stadium.
A long-term hamstring injury to Kevin De Bruyne has created an opponent in the attacking positions behind Erling Haaland in Pep Guardiola’s team and Alvarez took his chance after half an hour of patient but fruitless domaince from the champions.
A wonderful touch from Phil Foden on the end of Mateo Kovacic’s slide-rule pass allowed him to tee Alvarez up for an emphatic finish across Nick Pope.
The Sporting News is following the Manchester City vs. Newcastle match live, providing score updates, commentary, and highlights as they happen.
Man City vs Newcastle live score
| 1st Half | Goal scorers | |
| Man City | 1 | Alvarez ’31, |
| Newcastle | 0 |
Lineups:
Man City: (4-4-2, right to left): 31. Ederson (GK) — 2. Kyle Walker, 25. Manuel Akanji, 3. Ruben Dias, 24. Josko Gvardiol — 47. Phil Foden, 16. Rodri, 8. Mateo Kovacic, 10 Jack Grealish — 9, Erling Haaland, 19. Julian Alvarez
Newcastle:(4-3-3, right to left): 22. Nick Pope (GK) — 2. Kieran Trippier, 4. Sven Botman, 5. Fabian Schar, 33. Dan Burn — 8. Sandro Tonali, 39. Bruno Guimaraes, 7. Joelinton — 24. Miguel Almiron, 14. Alexander Isak, 10. Anthony Gordon
Man City vs Newcastle live updates, highlights, and commentary
53rd minute: Gordon running at the City defence again. He’s started this half very brightly. Dias makes an excellent sliding challlenge.
52nd minute: Alvarez actually ended up taking it and booted it straight to Pope with no City players around to challenge. He probably won’t get the next one.
51st minute: Grealish is pretty annoyed not to get a free-kick from a challenge by Trippier. Newcastle look to break but Ederson dashes out to make a headed clearance 35 yards from his own goalline. He’s having lovely time. Alvarez is fouled by Burn and limps towards the box for the free-kick.
49th minute: Ederson releases that brief spell of pressure by pumping one long. Haaland gets a shot away and Pope saves.
48th minute: Newcastle clearly don’t want to spend this half camped in their own territory. Gordon cuts inside but his shot hits Joelinton as his teammate joins the attack.
47th minute: Enterprising start to the second half for Newcastle and strangled appeals for a penalty as Rodri bundles into the back of Isak. If Trippier hadn’t been offside in the build-up there they might have had a case.
46th minute: Off we go again. No changes for either side. It’ll be interesting to see what Guardiola does with his bench if he uses it. There’s a lot of academy talent on there picking up the slack with Kevin De Bruyne, John Stones and Bernardo Silva all absent.
Halftime: An authoritative display from City, who haven’t created much but lead through a moment of high quality from Alvarez. Gordon’s half-chance at the end showed how Newcastle are very much still in this, though, and perhaps the hosts’ midweek exertions in Greece will catch up with them.
45th minute+2: Trippier scoots down the City left and delivers an excellent cross. It finds Gordon at the far post, who elects to take a touch and Dias is able to wallop clear.
45th minute+1: There’ll be three additional minutes.
44th minute: City player popping up in absurd positions much be an annoying thing to play against. Here’s Kyle Walker storming through midfield like a prime Yaya Toure. Guardiola’s men win a corner but can’t make anything of it.
41st minute: A ludicrously good pass from Ederson gets City into a dangerous spot in the Newcastle half. Foden slips in Haaland, whose shot across goal beats Pope but is also beyond the far upright.
38th minute: Trippier’s legs are taking a hammering from Grealish shots. He’s just slapped another one against his England colleague, cutting in from the left.
37th minute: Almiron has a cross blocked but we’re having a look at a possible handball in the City box. The VAR absolves Kovacic and Akanji of any wrongdoing.
33rd minute: Tonali brings down a scampering, marauding Foden to earn the yellowest of yellow cards.
31st minute: GOOOOAAAAAAALLLLLLLL!!!!!! Julian Alvarez!!!
It was starting to look like it would need something special against this Newcastle defensive effort and that’s what City have produced. Foden brings the ball under his spell down the right and picks out Alvarez. The first touch is excellent and the second is a venomous finish beyond Pope from 15 yards.
Available in the US
Oh my, Julian Alvarez!
What a way to break the deadlock for Man City!
📺 @peacock pic.twitter.com/FstFPTqALC
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) August 19, 2023
Available in the UK
Julian Alvarez delivers for Man City as they take the lead over Newcastle! 🤩
What a strike from the World Cup winner! 🚀
📺 Watch Man City v Newcastle on TNT Sports and Discovery + pic.twitter.com/h3jdbwsYmQ
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) August 19, 2023
29th minute: Grealish tries to fashion some room. The ball eventually drops to Kovacic and Joelinton makes the block. All hands to the pump for Newcastle.
28th minute: Foden springs into space down the inside left channel and aims a low cross towards Haaland. Botman makes a vital clearance.
27th minute: Grealish’s pass is a bit too heavy for Alvarez, who lunges and just can’t poke it through to Haaland. City in control but lacking the precision they need. A case in point, Walker gets around the back but can only hoick a bouncing ball into the side netting.
24th minute: A painful one for Ruben Dias as Anthony Gordon slightly petulantly rakes his studs down the Portugal defender’s calf. It’s a deserved booking.
21st minute: A couple of encouraging moments for Newcastle. Isak dribbles and holds up play well. He lays it back to Almiron, who dummies for Joelinton to shoot. Gvardiol makes the block.
18th minute: Newcastle have been penned in but here’s Gordon, who fashions some space outside Walker to cross. It’s a dangerous low delivery towards Isak that Akanji clears behind. City deal with the corner.
14th minute: Walker pushes high down the right, Foden lays the ball back to Akanji. He shoots over from 25 yards. Not a bad effort but Newcastle will be happy enough with attacks ending like that.
12th minute: Foden slips a pass through for Haaland, who steps over it and runs wide. The striker can’t sort his feet out for a return pass and it runs out of play, much to the amusement of the Newcastle fans behind the goal.
9th minute: Grealish cuts in to shoot but is met with a meaty block by his England teammate Trippier.
7th minute: Foden and Haaland try to thread the needle but are crowded out.
6th minute: Gvardiol wins out in a battle of the new signings with Tonali but his pass out is poor. Now Trippier down the City left but the offside flag goes up.
3rd minute: The Swiss international is going to soldier on, as you’d expect from a big hulking centre-back.
1st minute: Blue Moon booms around the arena and we’re off. And a worry for Newcastle straight away as Schar goes down heavily after an aerial challenge with Haaland.
5 mins from kickoff: The players are in the tunnel. The treble trophies are pitch side and there’s a big sky blue banner to celebrate the achievements of Pep Guardiola’s side. Can Newcastle spoil the party?
20 minutes from kickoff: These sides met in August last season and a repeat of the entertainment value on offer that afternoon would be very welcome. Ilkay Gundogan gave City an early lead before Miguel Almiron, Callum Wilson and Kieran Trippier opened up a 3-1 advantage for the hosts at St James’ Park. Erling Haaland and Bernardo Silva hit back to ensure a share of the spoils.
55 minutes from kick off: And here’s how the visitors line up at the Etihad this evening.
Unchanged. 👊#MCINEW // #NUFC pic.twitter.com/deVWFTmvoF
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) August 19, 2023
1 hour from kickoff: Here are the teams, starting with hosts Manchester City as manager Pep Guardiola makes a number of changes following their UEFA Super Cup win over Sevilla in midweek.
Tonight’s squad to face Newcastle United 🙌
XI | Ederson, Walker (C), Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol, Rodrigo, Kovacic, Foden, Grealish, Alvarez, Haaland
SUBS | Ortega Moreno, Phillips, Ake, Gomez, Perrone, Bobb, Palmer, Lewis, McAtee#ManCity | @etihad pic.twitter.com/hf83q9GPi0
— Manchester City (@ManCity) August 19, 2023
1 hr 20 mins from kickoff: To temper any excitement around Newcastle’s chances, their record on this ground is absolutely awful. And that’s probably being kind. They have never won in 18 Premier League trips to the Etihad Stadium, losing 16 of those matches. That’s the most visits to any venue without winning in Premier League history, although the Magpies did triumph in east Manchester in the League Cup in 2014. Their most recent away league win against City came when Alan Shearer scored the only goal at Maine Road in September 2000.
1 hr 40 mins from kickoff: Here we are then. Oil Clasico, El Cashico, or whatever else you want to call it. I’m sure your joke is boldly original and utterly hilarious. The main thing is it looks like we have a proper game of football in prospect. City won their opener at Burnely and lifted the UEFA Super Cup after being taken to penalties in midweek but there are few indications of Pep Guardiola’s team firing on all cylinders yet.
Throw in an absentee list featuring Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and John Stones and the fact City are yet to secure like-for-like replacements for departed duo Riyad Mahrez and Ilkay Gundogan and you can make a case for Newcastle fancying their chances on the back of last weekend’s rollicking 5-1 win over Aston Villa.
2 hours to kickoff: Hello and welcome to the Sporting News’ live coverage of Manchester City vs Newcastle in the Premier League.
𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗧 𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗔𝗖𝗞 💥
Number-crunching ahead of Newcastle 🔢 pic.twitter.com/GnRgP2IPkY
— Manchester City (@ManCity) August 19, 2023
Man City vs Newcastle lineups, team news
Guardiola will be without captain Kevin De Bruyne for at least three months after the Belgium international underwent hamstring surgery. Bernardo Silva missed the UEFA Super Cup win through illness and Guardiola expects him to rejoin the squad next week.
Julian Alvarez was restricted to a short cameo against Sevilla due to a minor niggle. John Stones (hamstring) will miss out but defensive colleague Ruben Dias could return after sitting out the past two games with concussion.
Man City lineup (4-4-2): Ederson (GK) — Walker, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol — Foden, Rodri, Kovacic, Grealish — Haaland, Alvarez
Howe will have few reasons to change following the hammering of Villa last time out. Joe Willock and Emil Krafth remain sidelined though injury, while Harvey Barnes may also miss out on a starting spot despite scoring off the bench on his debut.
Newcastle United lineup (4-3-3): Pope (GK) — Trippier, Botman, Schar, Burn — Tonali, Guimaraes, Joelinton — Almiron, Isak, Gordon
MORE: Watch Premier League matches live with Fubo in USA
Man City vs Newcastle United live stream, TV channel
Here’s how to watch this Premier League match across selected areas of the world’s major regions:
| Region | TV | Streaming |
| USA | — | Peacock |
| Canada | — | |
| UK | TNT Sports 1 | TNT Sports Ultimate, Discovery+ |
| Australia | — | Optus Sport |
| India | — | Hotstar VIP, JioTV |
| Hong Kong | Now Premier League (Ch.620-621) | Now TV |
| Malaysia | Astro SuperSport | Astro Go, sooka |
| Singapore | Hub Premier 1 (Ch.221) | StarHub TV+ |
| New Zealand | — | Sky Sport NOW |
UK: This match is available on TNT Sports’ streaming and TV platforms.
USA: This fixture is available to stream via Peacock.
Canada: Every Premier League game this season is live streamed exclusively via Fubo in Canada.
Australia: Fans in Australia can stream every match live and on demand on Optus Sport.