Newcastle United destroyed by PSR and Man City as £63m star punishes Eddie Howe decision

A 14-minute hat-trick from Omar Marmoush and a late James McAtee strike earned the reigning champions a resounding victory as Newcastle United’s disastrous run at the Etihad Stadium continued. The Magpies have now not scored in their last seven visits to Eastlands with DeAndre Yedlin, who left the club in January 2021, the last player to score for Newcastle away against Manchester City.

A three-point gap has now opened up between themselves and the Citizens in the race for European qualification ahead of what could be a pivotal few weeks. Here are five things of note from Newcastle United’s defeat against Manchester City:

Howe’s back-five ploy fails

When the teams were revealed at 1:45pm, there weren’t too many complaints at the XI that Howe had named. Dan Burn and Anthony Gordon were back in the team whilst their midfield three looked, at least on paper, a good match for their opponents.

Five minutes into the match, those hopes were dashed - and then some. Newcastle gave City far too much respect and far too much time on the ball.

In defence, they shifted into a back five with Kieran Trippier moving into right centre-half and Jacob Murphy as a makeshift right-back. Unlike against Arsenal where they were aggressive with their defensive performance setting the tone for a brilliant team performance, Saturday was almost the opposite.

Lewis Hall endured a torrid time against Savinho, Trippier was caught under the ball for the first goal, whilst Burn and Fabian Schar both endured a difficult afternoon up against Erling Haaland as Marmoush netted three. Not their finest afternoon.

Trippier/Tino debate rages on

Along with Joe Willock, Trippier’s afternoon lasted just 45 minutes on Saturday before he was replaced by Tino Livramento at the break. It was not a surprise to see the 34-year-old withdrawn at half-time and it now leaves Howe with a big call to make for the visit of Nottingham Forest.

Livramento’s pace and athleticism may be used to combat Forest’s strengths in wide areas next weekend, although Trippier’s know-how and leadership are intangible qualities that he demonstrated in their Carabao Cup win over Arsenal 11 days ago. Ahead of the clash with City, the Shields Gazette conducted a poll of Newcastle fans on who they wanted to see start at the Etihad Stadium between Trippier and Livramento, 68% voted for the former with 32% picking the former Southampton man.

Marmoush magic NUFC can only dream of in PSR world

All headlines will rightly go to Marmoush after a brilliant 90 minute display with his first goals in the Premier League sealing a hat-trick as a new Egyptian star rises in the Premier League. Howe’s shift to a back five gave Marmoush the freedom of Manchester in the middle of the park, with the space he had in the penalty box to place home his hat-trick strike summing up his afternoon.

English football as a whole will be richer for having the likes of Marmoush in the league if displays like Saturday become a regular occurrence. However, for 14 Premier League clubs, signing someone like Marmoush is nothing but a pipe dream, a pipe dream that, as it stands, will never, ever be realised.

Few teams could afford to spend any money during the January transfer window, even fewer could drop £63.2m on Marmoush, £50m on Nico Gonzalez, £33.5m on Abdukodir Khusanov, and £29.4m on Vitor Reis. PSR has strangled the ambition of many Premier League clubs with Newcastle United chief among those with the resources to spend, but inability to be able to do it.

Man City’s APT rules challenges won’t unlock that door, but nudge it just slightly open. PSR is here to stay for at least another season, even though those rules mean that the vast majority of Premier League clubs, bar a chosen few who have taken advantage of previous rules to sky-rocket their commercial growth, will have to closely monitor their spending yet again.

Etihad hoodoo remains

Newcastle have won at Old Trafford this season. They ended a 14-year wait for a win at the Emirates Stadium. But their wait to win a Premier League match at the Etihad Stadium goes on.

Those wins away at Manchester United and Arsenal had raised hopes ever so slightly that this Newcastle United side were a team capable of ripping up the history books and that maybe this season could be one where they make big statements on the road - and not just be flat-track St James’ Park bullies. Saturday was a golden opportunity for them to add another page in their history making book - but that slipped through their fingers.

Anfield at the end of the month gives them another chance to set right a long wait for a Premier League win away at Liverpool. And then comes the big one…

Carabao Cup final distraction?

Much was made of Newcastle United’s upcoming Carabao Cup final with Liverpool during Howe’s post-match press conference with thoughts of whether the players had one eye on that match. Howe overwhelmingly dismissed that notion with the Magpies facing four huge games between now and their appearance at Wembley on Sunday 16 March.

They cannot afford to let those thoughts creep into their minds with Forest next weekend providing a huge test of their credentials in a match that could be described as a ‘must-win’. Whilst a win at Wembley next month would be a crowning moment of not just this season but of three and a bit years work by Howe and the club, results like Saturday are a stark reminder that nothing can be taken for granted.