Newcastle 2-2 Manchester City: Jonjo Shelvey stunner further dents City's title hopes

Kevin de Bruyne looked to have won the game for the champions with a wonder goal himself with eight minutes remaining, but was left stunned with the rest of his team mates, as the former Liverpool midfielder put another nail in City's Premier League title coffin.

The final 10 minutes followed the same pattern of the rest of the game, with City dominating without breaking through a hard working, organised United defence. Then once they did unlock Newcastle, they were pegged back immediately.

In the first period, Raheem Sterling scored his 15th league goal of the season, as he fired in low on the penalty spot after benefiting from some pinball in the host's box.

However Jetro Willems levelled just three minutes later, cutting in from the left wing to receive a flicked ball from Almiron to curl pass Ederson for his second of the season - his first coming against Liverpool.

If Liverpool beat Brighton on Saturday, they will extend their lead over Manchester City to 11 points, while Newcastle move on to 16 points.

Highlights

City, who started the day nine points behind Liverpool, dominated possession throughout but could not turn the pressure into enough goals to atone for their defensive fragility in front of a crowd of 49,937 at St James' Park.

City full-backs Kyle Walker and Benjamin Mendy played as auxiliary midfielders when they were in possession as the Magpies retreated to form a black-and-white wall.

But they were unable to prise their way through and it was the Magpies who mounted the first attack of note when Shelvey picked out Allan Saint-Maximin down the left and he cut inside to scuff a seventh-minute shot straight at goalkeeper Ederson.

Fernandinho headed over from a De Bruyne corner, but the home side responded with Shelvey curling a 20th-minute free-kick just wide after Saint-Maximin had been fouled by De Bruyne.

However, it was City who took the lead two minutes later when David Silva back-heeled the ball into the path of Sterling after it had ricocheted back to him from Isaac Hayden's challenge and the England forward blasted home from close range.

Newcastle were level within three minutes when Willems - whose only other Newcastle goal came against Liverpool - played a one-two with Miguel Almiron before thumping a low right-foot drive past Ederson. It was the Paraguay international's first assist since his £21million arrival in January.

Dubravka needed two attempts to claim Sterling's rising 33rd-minute strike and was relieved to see De Bruyne's stoppage-time effort deflected into his waiting arms as the Magpies made it to the break on level terms.

Federico Fernandez's barnstorming run from his own penalty area sparked a rare Newcastle counter-attack which saw Shelvey send a 54th-minute free-kick just wide after Fernandinho had barged Joelinton to the ground 30 yards out.

Javier Manquillo had to produce a last-ditch tackle to deny Gabriel Jesus after De Bruyne and Sterling had picked a path through in the 65th minute, and Dubravka had to turn away a dangerous De Bruyne cross seconds later.

The Slovakia international pulled off a fine 68th-minute double save to deny Jesus and De Bruyne and saw substitute Bernardo Silva drag a left-foot shot wide four minutes later with the pressure mounting.

However, he was powerless to resist when De Bruyne pounced after Mendy's cross had been half-cleared, chesting the ball down before firing home off the underside of the crossbar.

But there was to be a further twist when, with three minutes remaining, substitute Christian Atsu played a free-kick square to Shelvey, who sent a sumptuous curling effort beyond Ederson's despairing dive to snatch a point.

OPTA stats

• Newcastle are unbeaten in each of their last four home league games against reigning top-flight champions (W2 D2), for the first time since a run of five ending in February 2003.
• Manchester City have found the net in each of their last 22 Premier League games vs Newcastle – their joint-longest such run in the competition (also 22 vs Fulham in March 2019).
• No Premier League player has scored more goals in all competitions this season than Man City’s Raheem Sterling (15 goals, level with Raul Jimenez).
• On his 24th appearance in the Premier League, Newcastle’s Miguel Almiron has registered his first assist in the competition, with what was his 23rd chance created for a teammate.
• Man City’s Kevin De Bruyne has had a hand in six goals in six Premier League appearances against Newcastle, scoring two and assisting four.
• Of players with at least 15 Premier League goals, only David Ginola (66.7%) and Laurent Robert (65.2%) have scored a higher ratio from outside the box than Newcastle’s Jonjo Shelvey (64.7% - 11/17).
• Eight of Newcastle’s 13 Premier League goals this season have been scored by defenders – the biggest such ratio in the competition (62%).
• Manchester City’s David Silva has been directly involved in more Premier League goals versus Newcastle than against any other side in the competition (11 - 5 goals, 6 assists).

How it happened

Relive our live blog of the game..

Newcastle 2-2 Manchester City

Newcastle: Willems, 25; Shelvey 88

City: Sterling, 22; De Bruyne 82

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