In the run up to Sunday's highly-anticipated late fixture, only the most optimistic of Newcastle United supporters believed the Magpies would serve it up to Premier League juggernauts Manchester City and walk away with all three points. Little did we all know that would very nearly come to fruition on Tyneside as the afternoon went on.
The general consensus across the land was that City, with their plethora of superstars, world-class manager and sublime style of football, would rock up at St James' Park, do the business and continue on their quest to regain English football's biggest prize.
But under Eddie Howe there are no dead games, as the head coach likes to remind us all regularly. Whether it's a training game, a pre-season friendly or the visit of the champions, Newcastle United aim to win - or at least make life as difficult as possible for their opposition.
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Yesterday's full-time whistle brought the curtain down on what was a frenetic encounter. Sighs of relief spread around the ground, along with the nagging feeling Newcastle had missed a glorious opportunity to snatch a memorable three points.
It's the new norm for these type of matches to provide a yardstick on just how far Newcastle need to go to bridge the gap to the team above them. On yesterday's showing, Howe's side don't have too far to travel before they are upsetting the Premier League apple cart across a 38-game period.
Howe got his ultimate wish. His side made life difficult for City from the very first whistle, inspired by the persistent roar of the St James' Park faithful. The response of City's stars after the draw speaks volumes as to how good Newcastle were on Sunday.
Speaking after the game, Guardiola lauded the performance of the home side: "The team you see is growing. They want to have a leading role in games. They have everything, they have pace, they have quality. It is a difficult place to come.”
That sentiment was echoed by defender John Stones, who believes City were frustrated by Newcastle as they rejected the norm of sitting back and allowing the champions to have it their own way.
"Difficult, very difficult. We knew the quality that they had. It was a difficult end to end game," Stones admitted. "I thought we didn't play to our usual standard.
"Bit frustrated at the end. We showed great character to come back. I think we could have maybe took more of our chances. That was the feeling coming off the pitch at the end, a bit defeated that we've not come away with the three points in the end. We have to give credit to them as well, how they played and how they stopped us playing in certain ways."
The challenge for Howe and Newcastle is to replicate Sunday's performance on a consistent basis. Wolves and Liverpool will provide two good opportunities to do just that before the end of August.
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