Guardiola reacts to Newcastle defeat amid pitch confrontations
Pep Guardiola has played down his reaction after the Spanish manager engaged in multiple confrontations following Manchester City’s 2-1 defeat to Newcastle United at St James’ Park on Saturday night, reports BritPanorama.
The City manager’s frustration boiled over after the final whistle, leading to heated exchanges across the pitch. Guardiola was spotted in an intense discussion with Newcastle captain Bruno Guimarães, attempting to walk away before being pulled back by the midfielder for further words.
Following this, the 54-year-old approached referee Sam Barrott and his assistants to voice his displeasure about several decisions during the match. In an unusual scene, Guardiola also directed his anger at a television camera operator, pushing away the camera and removing the operator’s headphones to speak directly into his ear.
Harvey Barnes delivered a devastating double to secure Newcastle’s victory, breaking the deadlock in the 64th minute with an impressive strike that left Gianluigi Donnarumma with no chance. The former Leicester winger’s opener came after a flowing move involving Joelinton and Guimarães, with Barnes applying a clinical finish.
Manchester City’s response was swift, as Rúben Dias equalised just four minutes later, his shot squeezing through Fabian Schar’s legs. However, the scores remained level for merely two minutes as Barnes struck again in the 70th minute, converting from close range after Nick Woltemade’s header across goal hit the crossbar via Guimarães. The winger’s delicate flick found the net, though the goal faced an anxious VAR review before being confirmed.
The winning goal sparked immediate controversy, with VAR conducting multiple checks before allowing it to stand. Officials examined whether Guimarães was in an offside position during the build-up and whether Donnarumma had been fouled as Barnes nudged him whilst the corner came in.
The Premier League Match Centre confirmed via social media that “both Guimarães and Barnes were in onside positions in the build-up” and that there was “no foul on Donnarumma prior to the goal”. However, graphics shared alongside this statement appeared to show a Newcastle player offside at the back post, adding to City’s frustration. Earlier in the match, City felt aggrieved when Phil Foden’s penalty appeal was rejected after Fabian Schar caught him with a sliding challenge following a stabbed shot that went wide.
The post-match chaos extended beyond Guardiola’s confrontations, with Joelinton needing to be restrained by teammates after clashing with Donnarumma. Newcastle assistant coach Jason Tindall also became involved in a brief but heated exchange with the Italian goalkeeper, while Joelinton gestured and shouted at him.
When questioned about his discussions with match officials, Guardiola downplayed their significance, telling the BBC: “No questions, everything is fine.” Regarding his exchange with Guimarães, he told Sky Sports: “I said how good he is (but that conversation) is for private situations. Everything is fine.” Newcastle manager Eddie Howe claimed ignorance about the confrontations, stating: “I’ve got no idea, maybe someone can tell me.”
The incidents capped a night of high drama at St James’ Park, which left Manchester City vulnerable in the title race as Arsenal is positioned to extend its lead at the summit. Should Mikel Arteta’s side defeat Tottenham Hotspur in Sunday’s north London derby, they would establish a commanding lead over challengers Manchester City and Chelsea. For Newcastle, last night’s win represented Eddie Howe’s first league victory over Guardiola in 17 attempts. The manager acknowledged the significance afterwards: “We needed this, we were coming into the game under a little bit of pressure. We wanted a response to that and a lot of things came together for us tonight.”
