19 hours ago
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Pep Guardiola seemed ready for battle after Manchester City's 2-1 defeat to Newcastle. Harvey Barnes' second-half double ensured the home side secured all three points in a match filled with drama at St James' Park, and the excitement didn't stop when the final whistle blew.
Barnes gave the Magpies the lead with a precise shot from the edge of the box, only for Ruben Dias' deflected strike to level things up five minutes later. Gianluigi Donnarumma kept City in the match, but he couldn't prevent Barnes' close-range winner.
The decisive goal was delayed by VAR due to a tight offside decision that went in Newcastle's favour, with Dias deemed to be playing Bruno Guimaraes onside from Nick Woltemade's header. City lodged a protest with referee Sam Barrott, seemingly arguing that Donnarumma had been fouled, but after a lengthy review, the goal was allowed to stand.
Guardiola's annoyance at the lost points - which Arsenal could take advantage of when they face Tottenham on Sunday - boiled over post-match. The City manager shook hands with Eddie Howe before stepping onto the pitch, where he had a confrontation with Joelinton, who had to be escorted away by his teammates and coaching staff, and Guimaraes.
The City boss had a long and intense discussion with the Newcastle captain, which didn't seem friendly. He also approached Barrott and appeared to scold a camera operator, reports the Mirror.
When questioned by Sky Sports about his conversation with Guimaraes, Guardiola declined to elaborate: "I said how good he is, and [asked about] the situation with Gigio and what happened, and the previous situations. Everything is fine."
When pushed further about his exchange with Barrott, he responded: "No, nothing, nothing. Everything is fine... Everything is fine. It is what it is.."
Guardiola did expand on his broader complaint that Donnarumma might have been fouled in the build-up to Barnes' crucial second goal. "It happened against Bournemouth, it happened again... Gigio saw the action, I didn't see it," he explained.
"But I rely a lot on my players, so I didn't see it. I didn't see it. Otherwise, if he didn't feel touched. But VAR and the referees decided the opposite in the first-half, in the second-half. So it is what it is. We are used to it.."
The loss follows City's impressive 3-0 victory over Liverpool prior to the international break and leaves them sitting third in the Premier League table, four points adrift of Arsenal, who could extend their advantage to seven points with a win over Spurs in Sunday's derby.
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