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Howe had tried numerous approaches.

Previously, Howe had sent out teams that applied intense pressure against Manchester City. Other formations saw his team sitting back defensively. He experimented with multiple formations, all without positive results.

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

However, he uncovered an effective approach.

When Newcastle desperately needed a positive result, following a difficult loss at Brentford before the international break, Howe and his coaching staff developed a strategy to finally overcome Manchester City in the Premier League.

And their planning proved successful following a 2-1 victory at an electric 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 stated. "Identifying successful tactics requires minimal documentation, but we learn from each experience and make adjustments. That was our methodology."

'I don't believe in radical overhauls'

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

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

With a smaller squad during the international period, the team worked on restoring "their vitality and movement".

Some significant tactical changes were introduced against Manchester City.

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 returned to the starting lineup for the first time in two months, taking Sven Botman's position.

Despite the changes, Howe avoided dramatic overhauls and preserved his trusted 4-3-3 setup and two of the three modifications to his starting lineup were essentially forced after Kieran Trippier and Anthony Gordon missed out through injury.

Most of the squad members who played at Brentford and during the disappointing West Ham loss received chances to make amends.

"I'm against making wholesale changes," 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 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

Something clearly needed to change, however.

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.

Despite Woltemade's absence with the German national team, the squad developed new supporting movements for their forward featuring Barnes and Jacob Murphy, to optimize his contribution after his international commitment.

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.

Particularly Barnes.

Barnes wasted crucial opportunities before halftime - even missing from close range - and acknowledged he wasn't "the most appreciated player" at intermission.

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.

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

Yet they remained resilient after City's equalizer and throughout eight minutes of added time.

This was an evening when Newcastle won more tackles and aerial duels, and made more blocks than their opponents.

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

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

"Defensively they were outstanding, making it extremely challenging for City to exploit gaps in midfield," he commented during radio coverage. "Second half I considered them the superior team, consistently catching City on counter-attacks and ultimately scoring two magnificent goals by Barnes. What a spectacular game."

Fortress St James' Park

Yet should this result under the lights at St James' necessarily come as a massive surprise?

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

From the start of the previous campaign, Newcastle have recorded eight victories, two draws and only two defeats at home against top opponents including City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, United and Spurs.

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

This clarifies why they sat merely one point above the drop zone before Saturday's crucial result.

"As much as I'd prefer to claim the crowd shouldn't influence on-field performance, it transforms everything," Howe conceded. "We have to discover ways to create positivity in road games without spectator backing.

"This is our challenge to address, whether via tactical modifications, roster decisions. Regardless of the approach, we need to commit to finding remedies."