MANCHESTER, Aug 20: Julian Alvarez’s first-half goal handed Manchester City a hard-fought 1-0 win over Newcastle on Sunday in the defending English Premier League champion’s first home match since winning the treble last season.
Alvarez curled a shot into the top corner after 31 minutes of a tight match at Etihad Stadium that showed the gap between Newcastle and the league’s top teams may have shrunk even more after Eddie Howe’s side finished fourth last season.
Newcastle, buoyed by thrashing Aston Villa 5-1 last weekend, was looking for a first league win at City in almost 23 years.
Yet the host, despite making just two changes following its European Super Cup game in Athens in midweek, was too strong and successfully nullified the visitor.
Pep Guardiola’s players were far from their fluid best, but they produced a professional performance to follow up their opening win at Burnley. In Alvarez and Phil Foden, they had the brightest players on the pitch.
City started slowly but began to step up the pressure midway through the first half and threatened for the first time when Manuel Akanji curled a long-range attempt over.
Alvarez then whipped in a low cross but failed to find Erling Haaland before Mateo Kovacic and Foden both had efforts blocked.
Foden grew into the game and was a lively presence, having stepped into the playmaking void left by Kevin De Bruyne’s long-term injury.
Foden was instrumental in City’s goal, finding space and darting into the area before pulling back for Alvarez. The Argentine forward did the rest, picking his spot from the edge of the area and firing a shot beyond Nick Pope.
Haaland went close early in the second half, first after holding off Sven Botman to shoot at Pope and then mishitting another shot wide, again from a Foden pass.
Newcastle had a good spell toward the end, and Harvey Barnes was presented with a chance after a rare misplaced pass by Rodri, but he shot straight at Ederson from distance.
Aston Villa rout Everton 4-0
Aston Villa went from losing by four goals in its first game of the season to winning by the same margin in its second.
Villa took advantage of poor Everton defending to beat the Toffees 4-0 on Sunday and hand Unai Emery his biggest win since taking over as manager.
Bouncing back from a 5-1 loss at Newcastle last weekend, Villa took a 2-0 lead after goals from captain John McGinn and Douglas Luiz in the first half and then added second-half efforts from Leon Bailey and substitute Jhon Duran.
Everton, meanwhile, has yet to score a goal in two games and has lost its opening two games for the second successive season.
Making matters worse, striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin was substituted in the 38th after a clash of heads, adding to his problems after an injury-plagued last season.
McGinn put Villa ahead in the 18th minute with a volley and Luiz doubled the lead from the penalty spot in the 24th after VAR ruled Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford had taken out Ollie Watkins with a flailing arm.
Villa put the result beyond doubt in the 51st minute when Bailey pounced after Everton defender Michael Keane had miscontrolled a throw-in into the box and fired home a low shot under Pickford.
Keane was caught out again in the buildup to Villa’s fourth, miskicking from former Villa defender Ashley Young’s throw-in and Duran ran clear to score his first goal for the club, less than a minute after stepping off the bench to replace Watkins. (AP)
