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The Newcastle manager had tested various strategies.

The Newcastle United head coach previously deployed sides who pressed Manchester City aggressively. He tried alternative approaches with teams that dropped deeper. Different systems were tested, but none yielded victory.

Howe was barely exaggerating when he said "we've tried everything" ahead of the weekend fixture.

Yet he found an answer.

Following a bruising loss at Brentford, the Magpies urgently needed to bounce back, Howe and his coaching staff developed a strategy to finally overcome Manchester City in the Premier League.

Their approach worked perfectly, resulting in a 2-1 triumph at a vibrant St James' Park marking Howe's initial Premier League success against Guardiola's side after 16 previous failures.

"My records show numerous failed strategies against City, making clear what doesn't work," Howe explained. "Telling you what does is a very small piece of paper, but you just try and learn from experience and just tweak something the next time. That was our methodology."

'Gradual improvements preferred'

The groundwork began after Newcastle's recent 3-1 loss at Brentford.

Howe dedicated countless hours analyzing match footage, reviewing training sessions and seeking solutions to what has been an inconsistent campaign.

Although working with a reduced training group, Newcastle focused on rediscovering "their energy and athleticism" during the international break.

Several notable adjustments were implemented for Manchester City's visit.

Bruno Guimaraes was deployed centrally in midfield, a role previously held by Sandro Tonali, while returning full-backs Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento started together for the first time since September and made a substantial impact.

Fabian Schar also made his first top-flight start in two months, replacing centre-back Sven Botman.

However, rather than implementing radical changes, Howe maintained his preferred 4-3-3 system and two of the three modifications to his starting lineup were essentially forced after Kieran Trippier and Anthony Gordon missed out through injury.

The majority of players who featured at Brentford and, indeed, in the damaging defeat at West Ham, were given opportunities to redeem themselves.

"I'm against making wholesale changes," Howe emphasized. "Unless you're in absolute panic mode, which we're not, and I don't believe in that style of leadership anyway.

"I possess strong insight into our top talent and strive to create optimal conditions for their development through guidance and development opportunities."

Barnes Delivers When It Matters

Nevertheless, adjustments were clearly necessary.

Only struggling Wolves and Leeds United had scored fewer goals than Newcastle in the top flight before this match.

New signing Nick Woltemade had seemed detached, with minimal attacking supply, particularly away from home.

Although Woltemade was away with Germany during the international break, Newcastle worked on different movements of players around the forward including Barnes and Jacob Murphy, to enhance his performance when he rejoined the team.

The Magpies generated clear chances for Woltemade during the match, with the City keeper making three crucial saves.

However, while Newcastle previously relied too heavily on Woltemade, additional squad members have started making important contributions.

Particularly Barnes.

The forward was responsible for several significant misses in the first half - even failing to hit the target with an open goal - and admitted he was not "the most popular man" at halftime.

Yet Barnes didn't just score the opener with a quality finish from range in the second period, he netted the decider shortly after City drew level via Ruben Dias.

The Magpies had held advantages against Arsenal, Brentford and West Ham but ended up defeated.

But they didn't collapse when Manchester City equalized or, indeed, after eight minutes of stoppage time were added.

The match featured Newcastle outperforming City in defensive statistics, including tackles, headers and blocks.

Despite City's possession advantage, which distorts the data, Newcastle cleared their lines 36 times and confined City to merely four shots on goal.

That defensive performance impressed former Newcastle defender Jonathan Woodgate.

"Out of possession they were exceptional and created significant difficulties when City attempted to find spaces between the lines," he stated in his broadcast analysis. "In the second period I judged them the dominant team, frequently exposing City in transition and finishing with two excellent Barnes strikes. What an entertaining match."

Fortress St James' Park

However, should this victory at a illuminated St James' Park be considered completely unexpected?

Only Manchester City (13) have won more Premier League home games than Howe's team (11) in 2025.

Since the beginning of last season, Newcastle have won eight, drawn two and lost just two of their home fixtures against Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham across all competitions.

Nonetheless, on their travels, Newcastle haven't secured a league victory since spring.

This explains why the team were just a single point above the relegation zone before Saturday's significant victory.

"Although I wish to state that atmosphere shouldn't impact gameplay, it fundamentally alters proceedings," Howe acknowledged. "We need to identify methods to generate momentum in away matches without fan assistance.

"This problem requires our solution, whether through formation tweaks, selection alterations. Whatever proves necessary, we must dedicate ourselves to identifying solutions."