Manchester City`s early Premier League title hopes took a hit as Harvey Barnes scored twice inside seven minutes for Newcastle United at St. James` Park.

Pep Guardiola`s side had the opportunity to close the gap to wobbling league leaders Arsenal to just one point with a win on Saturday evening but were condemned by Barnes, who scored in the 63rd and 70th minute.

That double came either side of an equaliser from Ruben Dias throughout a game where Manchester City were plainly outplayed amongst the raucous atmosphere at St. James` Park.

The final international break of the calendar year provided an opportunity for Eddie Howe`s side to recover their flaws and perhaps provide some motivation amid a worrying time that saw them enter this fixture just one point above the relegation zone.

But that same two-week gap in Premier League football prolonged the wait for Pep Guardiola`s side to recommence their flawless run in the division which most recently saw them storm past champions Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium.

Unfortunately for City, the scope of the first 30 minutes was in the favour of the home side as Nick Woltemade, having scored for Germany during the break, nearly added two goals to his season tally but Gianluigi Donnarumma condemned the forward by fine margins.

The Newcastle forward first pounced onto a fantastic cross from the right, delivered by Jacob Murphy before the former Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper palmed the danger away strongly. Just 13 minutes later, Sandro Tonali found Barnes on a quick counter-attack which led to Woltemade bursting through the centre and receiving the ball on the edge of the box.

With a clear shot on target, all Woltemade had to do was pick the right corner but Donnarumma read the striker`s mind and presented a home advantage with another spectacular stop to his right.

With 11 wins from their last 14 games in all competitions, it would be fair to say that Manchester City`s opening 45 minutes was underwhelming, though chances did come for Pep Guardiola`s side.

Rayan Cherki had City`s first shot on target when he cut past Bruno Guimaraes from a tight angle on the left flank; the Frenchman tested Nick Pope who made a strong block just seven minutes in.

Even after a dispiriting first 25 seconds when Donnarumma played an awkward pass out to Foden on the edge of the area which nearly earned Barnes an opener, the visitors recovered well to fire off shots but none were convincing enough to make a notable impact.

Erling Haaland - vying for a 100th Premier League goal in the quickest time in history - came close when his shot was blocked on the back of Jeremy Doku`s knock to the left side of the penalty area.

The City striker was denied once again by Pope on the back of a motivating run of play with 10 minutes before the break, Nico O`Reilly pulling back from the left side of the box. The Citizens didn`t have much to cheer for in the opening half but rather more to complain about as the visitors argued for two penalties.

Foden was hacked down by Fabian Schar after being played through by Doku but VAR reviews deemed the tackle fair before Malick Thiaw appeared to block the Belgium international`s shot with his hand but none were given.

The Magpies` often found themselves against the run of play and momentum fell into the favour of City with Foden coming the closest when nearly tucked an opener away after 42 minutes but his effort drifted wide of the left post.

Regardless of those imperfections, Newcastle soon took the lead just after the hour with a run of play that was as superb as the finish itself. O`Reilly`s initial clearance was aimless and led Guimaraes to play some fine football with Barnes, a return pass to the Brazilian midfielder forcing multiple City shirts out of position.

Before long Newcastle`s most effective player on the night handed the ball off to Barnes, whose right-footed shot from 19 yards crept into the bottom left corner to kickstart a seven-minute period where goals flew in.

Ironically, Dias` last Premier League goal came at this ground in December 2021 in a 4-0 win for the visitors. This goal however provided greater significance in the time that the scoreline was level once again before Barnes secured his double.

On 68 minutes, Doku crossed from the right which fell to Cherki at the opposite side, courtesy of a weak clearance by Thiaw which gave the City attacker the opportunity to fizz a low pass across the box.

From there, Hall`s tried to lead the danger astray but it fell to Dias on the inside, the Portugal international cutting across the ball finely to slip an equaliser through Schar`s legs and into the back of the net.

For all their superiority in recent meetings with Newcastle, which has seen City lose just once in their last 35 league meetings, the visitors were harshly exposed to the pressure both on and off the pitch at St. James` Park and soon fell for a second time.

Woltemade knocked a great delivery from the goalscorer across the box to Guimaraes, who looked to be offside before hitting the crossbar with a powerful header.

After it struck the woodwork, City`s defence was sporadic yet unfortunate as the ball fell to Barnes inside the six-yard box before he tapped in amongst four blue shirts to hand City a dispiriting defeat.

Here`s how we rated the players in Manchester City`s loss against Newcastle at St. James` Park!

Player Ratings

Starting XI

Gianluigi Donnarumma - 8 (POTM)

Made an inept pass to Foden within the first minute of the game but recovered well despite conceding twice - kept his side in it throughout with crucial stops to deny Barnes and Woltemade on many occasions. The scoreline could have been much worse without the Italian in net.

Matheus Nunes - 7

Was positionally excellent and barely put a foot wrong amongst the pressure from Newcastle. From a defensive standpoint he could have been more aggressive but did more than enough to suppress Barnes.

Ruben Dias - 7

Held the line excellently and worked the ball along the back four effectively. Was quick to react to loose balls, clearing timely when required.

Josko Gvardiol - 7

Bravely lunged into challenges which could be seen as both a gift and a curse for the visitors. The defender could have been more aware at times however and was often caught out by Newcastle`s attackers.

Nico O`Reilly - 7.5

Made some inviting runs and at one point nearly set Haaland up for the opener with 10 minutes to go before the interval.

Nico Gonzalez - 7

Struggled to cope with Newcastle`s unremitting midfield press at the start and was drawn into fouling Guimaraes on the halfway line. Still, the 23-year-old was disciplined when City were on the backfoot.

Bernardo Silva - 6.5

Didn`t seem to get much of the ball but was City`s workhorse throughout the 77 minutes that he played and never seemed to stop running.

Phil Foden - 7.5

Had arguably the best chance of the game for City when his left-footed stroke towards the bottom-left corner trickled out. Did well to shift play in and around the box.

Rayan Cherki - 7.5

Created Dias` equaliser and had a couple of shots that looked hopeful. As with the rest of the attack it was incredibly hard for City to find chances against Newcastle`s irrepressible midfield and defence.

Erling Haaland - 7

Came close on multiple occasions and made a healthy impact when tracking back for set-pieces. It could be argued that he should have scored just before half time but a good stop from Pope, who played well to prolong the striker`s wait for a 100th Premier League goal.

Jeremy Doku - 7.5

Started shaky but soon found his qualities with the ball at his feet; twice the Belgium international played Haaland and Foden through respectively which led to inviting opportunities before further opportunities were sourced from the winger.

Substitutes

Tijjani Reijnders - 6

Injected hope into the game when he came on after 77 minutes but it was difficult for him to break down Newcastle`s late low block.

Omar Marmoush - N/A

Came on and created a couple of chances in the 11 minutes that he played. It was always going to be a tough ask to expect something with such little time on the pitch.

Savinho - 6

Replaced Doku down the left and made a good effort to impact the game late, getting stuck in and running tirelessly.

Oscar Bobb - 6

Delivered a plenty of crosses late on which would have left the Newcastle supporters nervously waiting for the final whistle, but nothing could materialise as the Magpies` held on.