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Season 2023-24
Manchester City (a) FA Cup Sixth Round

 


Date:
Saturday 16th March 2024, 5.30pm
Live on BBC1

Venue:
Etihad Stadium

Conditions: Lost

Tickets: £36 adults (top tier) £37.50 (middle tier)

Programme: £4 
 

Manchester City

Newcastle

 

2 - 0


 

Teams

Goals

13 mins Moving towards the Newcastle goal from the right hand side of the box, Silva's shot hit Dan Burn's leg and looped into the far corner leaving Dubravka helpless in front of the North Stand. 0-1

31 mins
Moving towards the Newcastle goal from the right hand side of the box, Silva's shot hit Sven Botman's head. Dubravka had already dived to his right and the ball went past desperate attempts to block with his feet. 0-2

Half time:
City 2 Magpies 0

Full time: City 2 Magpies 0

We Said

 

 

Eddie Howe said:

"We tried our very best to force them into mistakes, but they didn’t. They were very good. Conceding the two goals that we did didn’t help our cause.

"It was an uphill battle. We covered a lot of ground, but when we had our moments our last pass was lacking.

"The difference is their technical quality and their players who can get out of tight situations – it’s at the highest level. We’re trying to get to their level.

"We’ve got 10 massive games left and are only a few points below seventh place, so we’re looking to end the season on a high.

"The goals are difficult to take, especially the first one. That's the football gods working against us today in that respect. I thought the lads gave everything but when Man City are in that kind of mood… I thought we did OK. 

"I thought we stuck at it and unsettled them at times. When we did get into the final third our quality wasn't there and that's probably the big disappointment.

"We tried to give them a different problem, we tried to be creative with our team selection. We felt two strikers could give us a better platform to attack. Alex's chance was a big moment but overall we weren't good enough. I thought technically they were superb today.

"We have a responsibility in the final 10 games to make sure we're the most competitive team we can be. I still feel we have a huge amount to play for."


They Said

 

Pep Guardiola said:

"To expect coming back from the last international break with two months left and be in contention for all the titles means a lot.

"People talk about the Premier League and Champions League but when you win four Carabao Cups in a row and get to six FA Cup semi-finals in a row, this team and this club has something special.

"We want to win all of them but sometimes it is not possible because of the quality of the opponents and the schedule we have.

"I remember playing away in the quarter-finals of the Champions League and then at Wembley is so difficult. To arrive in your best condition in those situations is difficult but we were there.

“Always you can have a bad night but when you have six times in a row, you have less bad nights. This is the consistency that proves people who doubt the team wrong.”

On Bernado Silva:

"Everybody loves him and we want him, even though the goals are deflections. 

"
(He’s) really important for us and staying with us is really, really important. I’ve said many times how important, personally and in terms of football Bernardo (Silva) is.”

On Jeremy Doku:

"He was brilliant. He’s a guy who can of course play in wider positions but in central positions, he has the ability to dribble and run. Of course, after he has the quality to see the last pass, like Kevin (De Bruyne) has or Gundo (Ilkay Gundogan) had or Riyad (Mahrez) and other players or Phil (Foden), but it’s the next step. 

"He’s so young, the moments he couldn’t make the pass to Erling
(Haaland), the last moments. But he played really, really, really good. He helped us to keep the ball and make the dribbles and drop them, he was really, really good.”

Stats


Magpies @ Etihad:

2023/24 Lost 0-2 (FAC)
2023/24
Lost 0-1
2022/23
Lost 0-2
2021/22
Lost 0-5
2020/21
Lost 0-2
2019/20 Lost 0-5
2018/19 Lost 1-2 Yedlin
2017/18 Lost 1-3 Murphy
2015/16 Lost 1-6 Mitrovic
2014/15 Lost 0-5
2014/15 Won 2-0 Aarons, Sissoko (LC)
2013/14 Lost 0-4
2012/13 Lost 0-4
2011/12 Lost 1-3 Gosling
2010/11 Lost 1-2 Gutierrez
2008/09 Lost 1-2 Carroll
2007/08 Lost 1-3 Martins
2006/07 Drew 0-0
2005/06 Lost 0-3
2004/05 Drew 1-1 Shearer
2003/04 Lost 0-1

Since DeAndre Yedlin netted in 2018 Newcastle have now endured 600 scoreless minutes in all competitions at the Etihad Stadium.


Lewis Hall made his FA Cup debut for Newcastle; his twelfth game in our colours (three starts). The 19 year-old also made a dozen appearances for Chelsea; no less than seven of that total of 24 have come against Manchester City, including both domestic cups in the last two seasons.

Three of today's Magpies XI were in the starting line-up when City won 2-0 at SJP in the 20219/20 quarter-finals: Jamaal Lascelles, Fabian Schar and Sean Longstaff. Miggy Almiron also played in both games while Emil Krafth was an unused substitute four years ago and came off the bench today.

For City, Kyle Walker remained from 2020 while three of the substitutes introduced four years ago were included in the side: Messrs Foden, Rodri and Silva. Stones sat on the bench for both ties.

Magpies v Citizens - FAC all-time:

1923/24 won 2-0 SF (n)
1954/55 won 3-1 F (n)
1956/57 drew 1-1 3rd (h)
1956/57 won 5-4 3rd R (a)
1968/69 drew 0-0 4th (a)
1968/69 lost 0-2 4th R (h)
1974/75 won 2-0 3rd (a)
1976/77 lost 1-3 4th (h)
1994/95 won 3-1 5th (h)
2001/02 won 1-0 5th (h)
2019/20 lost 0-2 QF (h)
2023/24 lost 0-2 QF (a)
  

Since City were beaten 0-2 here by Boro back in 2015, they have won all 13 of their FA Cup home ties, scoring 54 times and conceding five.

The last Magpie to score in a quarter-final tie was Patrick Kluivert against Spurs at SJP in March 2005 - that 1-0 success remains our most recent one at this stage and we've now recorded a trio of blanks in front of goal.

NUFC FAC QF Record:

1901/02 Sheffield United (a) lost 1-2 (r)
1904/05 Bolton Wanderers (a) won 2-0
1905/06 Birmingham (h) won 3-0 (r)
1907/08 Grimsby Town (h) won 5-1
1908/09 mackems (a) won 3-0 (r)
1909/10 Leicester Fosse (h) won 3-0
1910/11 Derby County (h) won 4-0
1912/13 mackems (h) lost 0-3 (2r)
1914/15 Chelsea (h) lost 0-1 (r)
1923/24 Liverpool (h) won 1-0
1929/30 Hull City (a) lost 0-1 (r)
1931/32 Watford (h) won 5-0
1946/47 Sheffield United (a) won 2-0
1950/51 Bristol Rovers (a) won 3-1 (r)
1951/52 Portsmouth (a) won 4-0
1954/55 Huddersfield (h) won 2-0 (r)
1955/56 mackems (h) lost 0-2
1960/61 Sheffield United (h) lost 1-3
1973/74 Notts Forest (n) won 1-0 (2r)
1975/76 Derby County (a) lost 2-4
1994/95 Everton (a) lost 0-1
1997/98 Barnsley (h) won 3-1
1998/99 Everton (h) won 4-1
1999/00 Tranmere Rovers (a) won 3-2
2001/02 Arsenal (a) lost 0-3 (r)
2004/05 Spurs (h) won 1-0
2005/06 Chelsea (a) lost 0-1
2019/20 Manchester City (h) lost 0-2
2
023/24 Manchester City (a) lost 0-2

Eddie Howe joined Gordon Lee, Kenny Dalglish and Sir Bobby Robson in guiding Newcastle to the last eight of both domestic cup competitions in the same season:

1975/76 LC Notts County (h) won 1-0, FA Derby County (a) lost 2-4
1997/98 LC Liverpool (a) lost 0-2, FA Barnsley (h) won 3-1
2001/02 LC Chelsea (a) lost 0-1  FA Arsenal (a) lost 0-3 (r)
2023/24 LC Chelsea (a) drew 1-1 (lost 2-4 pens), FA Manchester City (a) lost 0-2

This was the second time that we've faced the Citizens in both domestic cup competitions and the league during the same season:

1994/95:

Nov 1994 drew 1-1 (a) LC
Dec 1994 lost 0-2 (h) LC replay
Jan 1995 drew 0-0 (h) PL
Feb 1995 won 3-1 (h) FA
Apr 1995 drew 0-0 (a) PL

2023/24:

Aug 2023 lost 0-1 (a) PL
Sep 2023 won 1-0 (h) LC
Jan 2024 lost 2-3 (h) PL
Mar 2024 lost 0-2 (a) FA




 


Waffle


For anyone short of time, we'll summarise this game by reeling off our "conditions" list from Newcastle's ten successive Etihad defeats since the League Cup success in October 2014:

Normal service resumed (0-5), abused (1-6), unrelenting (1-3), inevitable (1-2), pathetic (0-5), stagnant (0-2), uncompetitive (0-5), perpetual (0-2), compliant (0-1). 

Lost (0-2) was added to that, but uninteresting (0-2) or outclassed (0-2) would have sufficed.

Get the picture?

Despite our foul-mouthed response when the draw was made, by the time matchday arrived we'd summoned up delusions of mediocrity and competence; albeit limited to improving on previous non-performances and ending our goal drought before bowing to the inevitable exit.

Having beaten Pep's side once already this season and lost the other two meetings by just one goal, that "what if" notion persisted, despite all logic pointing to the contrary. That hunch was furthered by news of an enforced goalkeeping change to the one who faced us in September's League Cup (Ederson) and the absence of January's Premier League matchwinner (Kevin de Bruyne).

As it turned though, Joe Corrigan could probably have donned the gloves without incident and another all-too-familiar thorn in our side had his usual impact; Bernado Silva continuing to be a goal-laden successor to Sergio Aguero.

Missing from the starting line-up was foot injury victim Tino Livramento and with Kieran Trippier still out, a five man back line included Jamaal Lascelles with Dan Burn and Jacob Murphy on the flanks.  

After a comfortable opening period, a pair of unfortunate deflections decided the tie and gave Silva another brace against us, although deflations would have perhaps been a more accurate description, given the optimism that almost visibly drained out of a punctured travelling support.

0-2 down and they'd barely looked at our goal never mind try to get into it. A long night beckoned.  

Had Alexander Isak not then hit his shot straight at the goalkeeper in front of the away contingent the mood could have been lifted considerably, but that and his mis-control in first half added time after Joe Willock took advantage of Haaland's midfield dawdling made for a sombre interval.

Although unable to stop the two deflected efforts, Martin Dubravka kept the score down and a quadruple substitution injected some life into the visitors, as Jeremy Doku and Erling Haaland both spurned chances at the other end.

Within five minutes of his arrival, Miggy Almiron then broke forward and found Isak - only for his poor first touch to waste the opportunity to shoot. Behind the Paraguayan, Lewis Hall meanwhile made a decent enough impression on a rare outing. His day will surely come.

And that really was that; defiance from the away end, compliance from the away side and a steady stream of Citizens abandoning their places and heading off into a dirty Manchester night. No goals here in ten hours, ten defeats in a row - and like the other nine, this was never a contest.

The Magpies return to action on Saturday week when hosting West Ham; their 1-1 draw with Aston Villa on Sunday putting them four points ahead of ourselves, but having played a game more. 

This defeat statistically ended our last hope of success in 2024, although European qualification still remains a possibility with ten Premier League games left to play - a quarter of the season.  

A defeat of acceptable proportions before an international break lessens the speculation over Howe's position and gives a opportunity for some sort of reset ahead of the last lap, when players are back in body not just name.

The manager's future may still depend on how high we finish, although it's arguable whether snagging a place in a lesser European competition is actually useful in the medium term. It certainly won't attract or retain talented players, but could hamper our summer squad replenishment efforts.

Given the turbulence of this season though, Saturday's Wembley clash of Bruno's Brazil and England's Anthony Gordon may well end with them sharing an ambulance to Central Middlesex Hospital...   

Biffa

 

 

 

 

 

 


Page last updated 18 March, 2024