When Rayan Cherki lashed home Manchester City's second goal deep into stoppage time at St James' Park, you felt the air suck out of the hope of Newcastle fans - and quite possibly the players and coaching staff too.

Cherki put the seal on City's 2-0 win and not only put the death knell on the result on the evening, but you also feel he put the death knell on the tie as a whole as far as Eddie Howe's side are concerned.

If Newcastle headed to the Etihad Stadium for next month's second leg with a one goal deficit to overturn, there would remain some optimism that they could do it.

A two-goal deficit feels like a huge mountain to climb given Newcastle last won away at Manchester City in October 2014, albeit in a 2-0 win in this very competition.

The significance of Cherki's strike was not lost on his manager Pep Guardiola, who celebrated wildly on the touchline, led by the reaction from assistants Kolo Toure and Pep Lijnders. Having referenced Newcastle's late heroics across the last week in...