Match Reports

I still can’t quite believe that ended Manchester City 3 Newcastle 1.

It seems insane that one team could miss so many gilt-edged chances. Willock, Gordon, Wissa (more than once) and Elanga all should have seen the net bulge.

I was equally baffled by how incredibly inept we were at the back in the first half, only to emerge looking like a completely different side after the break.

We lost Anthony Gordon to a hamstring injury right on half-time, but with 38 appearances (for club and country) already this season, it was only a matter of time.

The Nick Woltemade experiment is quickly losing momentum and he’s beginning to look like a luxury player. Peripheral throughout, he was deservedly hooked at the interval.

The real issue, though, was structural. The vast chasm of space between midfield and defence made us painfully easy to play through. We were supposed to have a three or four across the middle, but they were either far too flat, or pressing far too high. No one sat in to protect us on the transition and Manchester City exploited it ruthlessly.

All three goals contained an element of fortune, but...