Manchester City are the among the clubs “in the race” to sign Paris Saint-Germain and Netherlands international superstar Xavi Simons, according to a report.

Whilst hoping to claim the Carabao Cup for a fifth time under Pep Guardiola, despite intending to chop and change starting line-ups throughout, Manchester City will next face the challenge of Tottenham at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the fourth round.

Manchester City appeared to have secured a legal victory over the Premier League in their challenge of the division’s associated party transaction rules.

one step one of a time

Man City Vs Arsenal Civil War

Starting XI: Ederson; Walker ©, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol; Lewis, Kovacic, Gundogan; Bernardo, Haaland, Grealish.

Substitutes: Ortega Moreno, Carson, Stones, Nunes, McAtee, Foden, Savinho, Doku.

Gvardiol goal

Gundogan is way off it

dive

Draw

Need rodri replacement asap, got palmer buy back clause right

Player Ratings

Ederson – 6.5

Poor judgement in bringing Anthony Gordon down for Newcastle’s penalty. Otherwise, made sure not to flap when coming for crosses and had a routine save from Joelinton.

Kyle Walker – 7

Didn’t put a defensive foot wrong in the first half, but got his line wrong to play Anthony Gordon onside for the penalty. First 45 was better than the second from the captain.

Ruben Dias – 7.5

Not the physical battle he usually relishes as he was up against Anthony Gordon, but didn’t make any slip-ups and was fine in possession. Took a very good yellow to stop a break near the end.

Josko Gvardiol – 8 (MOTM)

Actually struggled to deal with the movement in behind him for much of the opening 45 minutes, but had the class when it mattered to break the deadlock and improved hugely thereafter.

Manuel Akanji – 7.5

Had the versatility to support the attack by pushing into supplementary midfield zones, whilst also covering any balls in behind with superb athleticism and anticipation.

Mateo Kovacic – 7

Some nice work dropping deep to control things, but was caught in transition at times and will need to do better in that regard in Rodri’s absense.

Rico Lewis – 7.5

Nothing too flashy but knew exactly when to hold and when to release under pressure; natural midfield performance.

Ilkay Gundogan – 5

Hasn’t hit his stride yet since his return and looked off the pace today to put it kindly. Correct decision to bring him off from Pep Guardiola.

Bernardo Silva – 7

Caused problems coming in off the right flank and ran as willingly as ever. Couldn’t quite produce a decisive final pass.

Erling Haaland – 6.5

Occupied the defenders quite well, although his holdup play and passing wasn’t as sharp as it has been of late. No proper chances to speak of.

Jack Grealish – 8

Aggravated the home crowd as he usually does, but a large part of the Toon ire was because Manchester City’s no.10 was playing well and mostly had the beating of Kieran Trippier. Fought extremely hard and set up the goal, but was maybe getting a little het up towards the end so was brought off.

Substitutes

Phil Foden – 7

Good to see him inject more spark than he has in prior cameos this season. Looked lively.

Savinho – 6.5

Superb tracking back to stop a Newcastle break was his highlight.

Jeremy Doku – 5.5

Got nothing from Tino Livramento.

Player Ratings

Ederson: Made a few excellent saves and was unlucky to give away a second-half penalty. 7

Walker: Caught out trying to play Gordon offside for the penalty and was unable to make up for it. 5

Dias: Marshalled everything well from the back and kept City pushing up as they chased a winner. 6

Akanji: Stepped up into midfield whenever he could and hoovered up anything at the back that came his way. 7

Gvardiol: Struggled in the first half against Murphy and Trippier but a striker's instincts to score. 6

Kovacic: A little frantic as he tried to keep his foot on the ball and the game. No lack of effort but the killer ball wasn't there. 6

Lewis: Helped Kovacic and Gundogan out but was unable to enjoy any real time on the ball to unpick the Newcastle defence. 6

Gundogan: Pushed wide as De Bruyne has been playing before coming inside but struggled to control the game. 5

Silva: Not much of what he tried came off but he kept the ball moving and gave City an out on the right. 6

Grealish: Made the first goal with quick thinking and quick feet and he was a pain for Newcastle players - particularly Tonali - all game. 7

Haaland: Impressive defensively to help out and worked hard to create opportunities without much service. 6

Substitutes

Foden (for Gundogan, 66) Couldn't get into the game properly. 6

Savinho (for Lewis, 82) Little time.

Doku (for Grealish, 82) Little time.

Player Ratings

GK: Ederson - 6/10 - A smart save to deny Joelinton late in the first half. Couldn't do a whole lot with the penalty he conceded.

RB: Kyle Walker - 7/10 - Needed all his athleticism to keep up with Barnes and Gordon. Key to City's defensive efforts.

CB: Ruben Dias - 6/10 - Not always convincing but largely did a solid job of forcing Newcastle out wide.

CB: Manuel Akanji - 6/10 - Stepped forwards into midfield but regularly lost out. Even managed a handful of shots on goal.

LB: Josko Gvardiol - 7/10 - Exposed defensively by City's early tactics, Gvardiol usually won his battles at the back and then took matters into his own hands with a composed finish up the other end.

DM: Mateo Kovacic - 6/10 - A classy performance with the ball at his feet, completing nearly every pass he attempted, but didn't exert the level of control City needed when the pressure was on.

DM: Rico Lewis - 6/10 - Got himself into some nice positions and kept things simple, but looked a little nervous when Newcastle's energetic press came at him.

RM: Bernardo Silva - 5/10 - Pretty quiet. Didn't get much change out of Hall whatsoever and failed to impact the game.

AM: Ilkay Gundogan - 4/10 - Visibly off the pace. Made a series of poor decisions, including his tame attempt to lob Pope.

LM: Jack Grealish - 7/10 - City's biggest attacking threat from the first whistle. Smart footwork and a nice pass for Gvardiol's goal.

ST: Erling Haaland - 5/10 - Picked up a knock on his ankle early on and never looked comfortable. Was more involved defending corners than he was in attack.

Substitutes

SUB: Phil Foden (66' for Gundogan) - 7/10

SUB: Savinho (81' for Lewis) - N/A

SUB: Jeremy Doku (81' for Grealish) - N/A

Manager

Pep Guardiola - 5/10 - Rodri's absence was sorely felt here as City rarely looked like the world-beaters we know they are. The midfield battle was comfortably won by Newcastle, meaning City never got going.

Player Ratings

Ederson (7/10):

Pulled off an audacious backheel early on but when it mattered, he was beaten to the punch by Gordon and conceded a penalty. His distribution was impressive and made a great stop to deny Joelinton, though.

Kyle Walker (6/10):

As usual, his defensive covering work was top notch, but he played Gordon onside and the winger then won and then converted his penalty. On another day, could have conceded a spot-kick for a foul on Joelinton.

Ruben Dias (8/10):

The Portugal international looked composed at the heart of City's defence when others looked more shaky.

Manuel Akanji (8/10):

Started as a centre-back but played further up the pitch in a Rodri-like role, at times, when City were on the ball. Was never going to be as effective as the injured Spaniard, but looked solid enough in his various positions.

Josko Gvardiol (9/10):

Showed the predatory instincts of a first-rate striker with a sumptuous turn and finish to give City the lead. That was his sixth goal contribution for City in 2024; not bad for a defender, who alsoRico Lewis (7/10):

Was maybe the brightest of City's midfielders, but the teenager looked a bit lightweight on occasion.

Mateo Kovacic (6/10):

While he has proven he can play in a deeper-lying midfield role, the Croatian didn't have his best day and at times his midfield partners were overrun.

Ilkay Gundogan (5/10):

Seemed a bit off the pace at times and struggled to make much of an impact. A difficult afternoon for the veteran. did his usual duties very well.

Bernardo Silva (7/10):

Had a relatively quiet game by his lofty standards when out on the right, but looked more comfortable later on in a more central role.

Erling Haaland (7/10):

Won the physical battle with the giant Burn but didn't have many chances to inflict damage on Newcastle's defence.

Jack Grealish (8/10):

Showed some terrific wing play, something that is too rare from him these days, to beautifully set up Gvardiol for the opener. Largely got the better of Trippier throughout.

Subs & Manager
Phil Foden (7/10):

Nearly scored with one of his first touches but was denied by 'keeper Pope. Looked sharp when he came on.

Jeremy Doku (6/10):

Was direct and attacking, but was somewhat ineffective in his cameo.

Savinho (7/10):

Tracked back very well to get his team out of a bind late on. A great option off the bench.

Pep Guardiola (7/10):

His midfield of Lewis, Kovacic, and Gundogan lacked bite at times as he tries to find solutions to a Rodri-less City. The Spaniard's substitutes were brought on at the right time to wrestle back momentum, though.

Player Ratings

Ederson-7/10: Made on stunning save from Joelinton on the stroke of halftime. He was unlucky to concede a penalty, in my opinion, for his challenge on Anthony Gordon. But did his work well over the 90 minutes.

Kyle Walker-7/10: He played Gordon onside for Newcastle’s equaliser. Besides that error, it was his best performance of the season.

Manuel Akanji-6.5/10: Akanji slotted into midfield when City had possession and didn’t do a lot wrong. But it wasn’t his best performance of the season.

Ruben Dias-6.5/10: Dias was booked late in the game for a challenge on Anthony Gordon. Did what he had to do but like Akanji, it wasn’t his best game.

Josko Gvardiol-7.5/10: Scored City’s goal with a sublime finish. Newcastle targeted Gvardiol and he did his job well both defensively and going forward.

Rico Lewis 6/10: Started in midfield but not at his best. Got into some decent positions at times but wasn’t his best performance.

Mateo Kovacic-6/10: His performance wasn’t at the high standards he had shown to start the season.

Ilkay Gundogan-4/10: A poor display by Gundogan. He got into good positions but couldn’t affect the game as he would’ve liked. Looks to be too eager to impress rather than letting the game come to him.

Bernardo Silva-5.5/10: He was anonymous on the right wing but could’ve won the game when he was swapped into midfield. Perhaps that move should have been made earlier.

Jack Grealish-7/10: Set up Gvardiol’s opener with a superb piece of wing play. Faded out of the game in the second half as he got sucked into a running battle with Sandro Tonali.

Erling Haaland-6/10: Haaland was well marshalled by the Newcastle defence. He still had his chances but couldn’t hit that score sheet. He did defend well when he had to which is a credit to City’s number 9.

Substitutes

Phil Foden-6.5/10: City looked a lot more dangerous when Foden was introduced. You have to wonder if the game could’ve been changed if he was introduced ehad beenier.

Savinho-6/10: Looked lively but like Foden, he came on too late.

Jeremy Doku-6/10: Same as Savinho and Foden. Looked lively but was introduced too late in proceedings.

palmer wanna come back?i dont1 think so...

Bernardo Silva more comfortable at middle...Savinho and doku came on too late

Ortega Moreno; Lewis, Stones, Akanji, Gvardiol; Gundogan ©, Nunes, Foden; Savinho, Haaland, Doku

Player Ratings

Stefan Ortega – 7

Surely the easiest game of his Manchester City career? No shots on target to face, and accomplished his sweeping duties with minimal fuss.

Manuel Akanji – 7.5

As will go for the whole backline, there’s only so much you can say for the defenders on a night when they had very little defending to do. Manuel Akanji brought the ball out from the back with his usual confidence.

John Stones – 7.5

Similarly at ease in his ball-playing, not needing to move into his midfield role to influence proceedings. Had one or two scoring chances from corners too.

Josko Gvardiol – 7

Not quite as accurate with his passing as his fellow defenders, but posed a threat with his overlapping on the left.

Rico Lewis – 8.5 (MOTM)

Had such joy playing in whatever pockets he could find that had space for him, most notably when he played in Erling Haaland for his goal. Classy operator.

Ilkay Gundogan – 7.5

Still struggling a little to be in the right place for second balls, which was always his bread and butter in his first spell at the club, but he was much improved on the ball from Newcastle on Saturday and notched his first goal since his return.

Matheus Nunes – 6.5

Clearly keen to impress and as such had a few moments where he snatched at his opportunities. Should have had an assist for Erling Haaland in one of his better moments.

Phil Foden – 8

Continued from his vibrant cameo at the weekend with an all-action showing. Caused a lot of damage between the lines and scored beautifully.

Jeremy Doku – 8.5

Exactly his kind of game, with so much space to run at players and turn them inside out. Created all sorts of chances.

Erling Haaland – 7

He’s used to being kept uninvolved for long stretches and having to stay alert for anything that comes his way, and after a couple of sighters, he did the job on his third opening.

Savinho – 7

Didn’t have much license to impress such was Manchester City’s focus on Jeremy Doku down the right, but made the right decisions when he was and tracked back manfully.

Substitutes

Ruben Dias – 6.5

Continued the backline’s professional discipline in moving the ball around.

James McAtee – 7

Grabbed his first goal for the club with a strong finish, and could have had another as he looked dangerous.

Kyle Walker – N/A

Jack Grealish – N/A