Josko Gvardiol had fired the visitors ahead before half-time.
Manchester City, the champions of the Premier League, had a thrilling match against Newcastle United when Anthony Gordon sealed a 1-1 draw for Newcastle United at St James' Park. As if the 52,248 in attendance needed a reason to be at the edge of their seats more than that already demanded by the buildup, as if the manner of preparation was not enough to send the fans into a frenzy when Anthony Gordon equalized just moments after making public his new contract, locking in as a key playmaker for the Magpies. The match proved to be not only the determination of Newcastle but also the challenge the City team had without its midfield stalwart.
With this consideration, from the very start, City had all the chances for dominance, with Mateo Kovacic filling the boots vacated by Rodri's injury. The visitors quickly got into their rhythm, with Manuel Akanji seeing an early shot deflected wide and Erling Haaland testing Newcastle keeper Nick Pope for the first time. Once again, Akanji and Ilkay Gundogan proved to be an effective pairing, and City looked set to impose their stamp right from the start. However, Newcastle played much more wisely under the guidance of manager Eddie Howe, which allowed them to take in that pressure and score themselves on swift counterattacks.
Anthony Gordon equalises for Newcastle from the spot! 🎯
Listen to the ROAR of St. James' Park 🔊
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— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) September 28, 2024
As the game went on in the first half, the game slowly but surely turned its intensity into a midfield scrabble. Newcastle was solid at the back, including a very brave block from Jack Grealish that denied Kieran Trippier a clear shot on goal. However, the Magpies went two behind as Grealish showed his sorcery to beat Trippier and put in a precise pass to Josko Gvardiol. The fullback did not miss that opportunity as he drove inside Dan Burn and shot with a slight deflection off Sandro Tonali to evade Pope. The goal did not only lift the spirits of the city but also left the home fans to consider just how difficult a challenge lay ahead.
As Newcastle headed into the break, they were at a crossroads in the game. Pope erred on judgment when he misplaced a pass, which almost saw him give away the second goal while Ederson looked on in awe at the other end to make a match-winning save to deny Joelinton just before halftime. Tension ran high in the stadium as the Magpies wanted to regain their composure and strike back in the second half.
The Newcastle would return in the second 45 minutes with renewed energy. It was then that the visitors started by getting hold of the game. Bernardo Silva and Haaland were the players creating chances that threatened Newcastle's goal. All this changed drastically by the time the clock had passed the hour mark. Gordon was on the receiving end of a challenge from Ederson, who brought him down after a swift through-ball from Bruno Guimaraes. He dusted himself off and converted the resulting penalty with aplomb, sending Ederson the wrong way to level the match at 1-1.
Brilliant work from Jack Grealish, even better work from Joško Gvardiol 🎯
The defender gives Man City the lead ✨
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— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) September 28, 2024
Gordon's equalizer brought a wave of optimism into the ranks of Newcastle, and the home side started putting pressure on, causing ripples in City's defense that had been unmoved up to that point. Inspired by his penalty, Gordon was almost set up to turn provider only to squander an opportunity to find Harvey Barnes, who wasn't exactly easy to find beyond the far post. Momentum had swung, and the Geordies began to have hopes that they could manage to be on top of the champions at least on the score sheet.
For all their domination, however, neither team could claim a finalizing goal in the latter stages of the match. Pope was once more called into action in desperate attempts to deny Haaland and Silva who yet had clear chances of scoring. Ederson, on the other hand, stayed busily involved at the other end as he heaved a sigh of relief as if there would always be hope for his team when substitute Sean Longstaff did not find the target from a late effort. The tension reached a fever pitch as stoppage time ticked away. With seconds remaining in the game, Silva was inches from snatching victory for City, his volley blocked only by the quickness of Pope.
To the end of this game, both teams had excuses: for Newcastle, a draw with the mighty form of the defending champions was proof of their resilience, whereas Manchester City would look at their absence of one or two super players as reminders of the challenge that lay before them. Gordon will then put on a show, and celebrating the soon-to-be renewal of his contract will surely find its place in the brightness of this hard-fought battle that flashed before both teams' eyes - the full heart and spirit.
