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The Newcastle manager had tested various strategies.

Previously, Howe had sent out teams that applied intense pressure against Manchester City. He tried alternative approaches with teams that dropped deeper. Different systems were tested, but none yielded victory.

The situation had deteriorated to where Howe half-seriously claimed "we've exhausted our options" pre-game.

Yet he found an answer.

When Newcastle desperately needed a positive result, following a difficult loss at Brentford before the international break, Howe and his team devised a tactical plan to secure their first victory against Manchester City.

Their approach worked perfectly, resulting in a 2-1 triumph at a vibrant St James' Park giving Howe his maiden win over Guardiola's Manchester City in league competition.

"I have extensive documentation of unsuccessful approaches against them, so I know what to avoid," Howe explained. "Identifying successful tactics requires minimal documentation, but we learn from each experience and make adjustments. This was our process."

'I don't believe in radical overhauls'

The foundation was established in the days following Newcastle's 3-1 defeat at Brentford this month.

The manager invested extensive time studying video, evaluating practice sessions and looking for answers to their irregular season.

Despite having fewer players available, Newcastle concentrated on regaining "their dynamism and physicality" during the break.

Some significant tactical changes were introduced against Manchester City.

Captain Bruno Guimaraes was assigned a central role in the midfield three, where Sandro Tonali had been positioned for most of the past year, as full-backs Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento began a match together for the first time in months and proved highly influential.

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

Nonetheless, instead of making sweeping alterations, Howe stuck with his favored 4-3-3 formation with two of the three lineup changes being necessitated by injuries to Kieran Trippier and Anthony Gordon.

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

"I don't support the idea of tearing everything down," Howe declared. "Unless you're in absolute panic mode, which we're not, and I don't believe in that style of leadership anyway.

"I believe I have a clear understanding of our strongest players and I want to provide them every opportunity to demonstrate their qualities by assisting them and encouraging their progress."

Barnes Steps Up Crucial Moments

However, transformation was undoubtedly required.

Prior to this game, only Wolves and Leeds United had netted fewer Premier League goals than Newcastle.

Record signing Nick Woltemade had appeared isolated, with limited service, particularly in away matches.

Although Woltemade was away with Germany during the international break, Newcastle worked on different movements of players around the forward such as Barnes and Jacob Murphy, to maximize his effectiveness upon return.

Newcastle manufactured several scoring opportunities for Woltemade, but the City goalkeeper produced three important stops.

But whereas Newcastle were once overly dependent on Woltemade, other players have begun to contribute significantly.

Especially 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.

However, Barnes not only broke the deadlock with a superb strike from distance after halftime, he secured victory moments after City leveled through Ruben Dias.

Newcastle had been ahead versus Arsenal, Brentford and West Ham but surrendered their leads.

However, they maintained composure when City drew level and during eight additional minutes.

This performance saw Newcastle dominate physical battles, winning more challenges and defensive actions.

While City dominated the ball, inevitably skewing the numbers, Newcastle defended resolutely with 36 clearances and limited City to only four accurate shots.

The defensive display caught the attention of ex-Newcastle player Jonathan Woodgate.

"Out of possession they were exceptional and created significant difficulties when City attempted to find spaces between the lines," he told BBC Radio 5 Live. "After halftime I viewed them as the better side, repeatedly threatening City on breaks and netting two superb Barnes goals. What an entertaining match."

St James' Stronghold

Nevertheless, is this outcome at a vibrant St James' Park truly astonishing?

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.

Yet in away matches, Newcastle have failed to win a Premier League game since April.

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

"While I'd like to assert that supporters shouldn't affect player performance, it completely changes dynamics," Howe conceded. "We have to discover ways to create positivity in road games without spectator backing.

"This problem requires our solution, whether through formation tweaks, selection alterations. Regardless of the approach, we need to commit to finding remedies."