Man City's academy duo shines with goals and assists as the striking pair deliver; home victory 2-1 over Newcastle narrows gap to Arsenal to just 2 points.

At 4 AM Beijing time on February 22, the 27th round of the Premier League featured a Champions League-level clash, with Manchester City hosting Newcastle in a crucial match for City's title chase.

In the first half, Marmoush assisted O'Reilly to break the deadlock; Hall equalized for Newcastle, then Haaland set up O'Reilly again for his second goal. Dan Burn scored but was ruled offside, leaving City leading 2-1 at halftime. The second half saw chances for both sides but no further goals.

In the end, Manchester City secured a 2-1 win over Newcastle, gaining all three points and closing the gap to league leaders Arsenal to just two points. The top two still have a direct encounter ahead, with City hosting Arsenal, keeping both teams in strong contention for the title.

Manchester City vs Newcastle,Guardiola deployed a 4-1-3-2 formation with Haaland and Marmoush as forwards; Semenyo, Bernardo Silva, and O'Reilly formed the midfield line; Rodri played as the lone defensive midfielder; Nunes, Ruben Dias, Guehi, and Nuri made up the back four; Donnarumma in goal. The starting lineup's market value totaled €710 million.Eddie Howe set up a 4-3-3 with Gordon, Waltermade, and Ilanga as the front three; Willock, Tonali, and Ramsay formed the midfield trio; Hall, Dan Burn, Gaff, and Trippier made up the back four; Pope guarded the net. Their starting lineup's market value was €393 million.

The match was evenly contested, with Manchester City playing cautiously and prioritizing the full three points. Despite holding some advantage, City wasted many chances, even failing to score on a 2-on-1. The Blues became somewhat passive in the second half but were saved by academy graduate O'Reilly’s brace, securing a hard-fought 2-1 home win over Newcastle and keeping the pressure on Arsenal by two points. Marmoush and Haaland both provided assists.

Throughout the match,Manchester City held 55% possession and took 15 shots, two more than Newcastle, but both teams had 7 shots on target.Guardiola faces the challenge of optimizing the coexistence of Haaland, Marmoush, and Semenyo. Haaland gave his all in this game, but Semenyo and Marmoush appeared somewhat disconnected when playing alongside him. Guardiola needs to activate this new attacking trio effectively.