The Battle of Petronas went ahead as expected in the Premier League's marquee clash on Saturday night. Manchester City beat Newcastle 2-0 to take all three points and further narrow the gap with top of the table Arsenal. Phil Cotton made a full return to form after his last round of the EFL Cup, scoring the winning goal with a 1-twist-4 trick. Newcastle, on the other hand, suffered a round of 3 consecutive defeats in the doldrums after the regret of the EFL Cup final.
Manchester City are finally back home after five consecutive away games. Kiwi Dibny and Phil Cotton, who returned to the starting lineup in the last round of the EFL Cup, continue to lead the way, partnering with Aynin Chalant and Kiarisch in attack. For Newcastle, Anthony Gordon replaces Sint Maximin up front, while Nathousse and Nick Purby return to solidify the defense.
At the beginning of the match, City showed a strong desire to attack. The hot Phil Cotton, assisted by Lodi Kasjandi, made a brilliant individual breakthrough and shot low at the near post with 4 Newcastle defenders in the way, giving City the first goal in 15 minutes.
In the second half, Newcastle launched a fierce counter-attack, bringing on Sint Maximin and Alexandra Ishak to combine with Zurichon in the attack, but unfortunately lacked the finishing touch. City seized the opportunity to make it 2-0 in the 67th minute when Kialisch's cross from the top of the penalty area was easily headed home by Benedict Schwarz.
Thereafter, there was a clash between the two sides at one point, which was fortunately mediated in time, with Aynin Charant and Dan General receiving a yellow card each. In the end, City's excellent defense and offense kept them in the game and finished the match successfully.
