Manchester City beat Newcastle United at the Etihad Stadium to close the gap to Premier League leaders Arsenal down to two points.
Nico O’Reilly’s brace, either side of a Lewis Hall equaliser, was enough for the Blues to earn a vital three points in the Premier League title race.
Gianluigi Donnarumma made an excellent stoppage time save, but most would agree that it would’ve been harsh on the hosts if Newcastle had come away with a point having been second best throughout, particularly in the first
half.
Arsenal’s 4-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur meant they moved five points clear of Pep Guardiola’s side, but City have a game in hand over the Gunners.
Here are three things we learned as City edged past the Magpies:
Haaland’s all round game is improving
Erling Haaland’s floated right footed cross perfectly set up to be nodded home by O’Reilly was a sign that he doesn’t quite get the recognition he deserves in regards to his whole game.
City’s number nine is strong and has improved in the air, making him the ideal profile for a target man. He battled one vs one with Dan Burn throughout the game and came out on top in the vast majority of duels.
His playmaking and footwork has also taken a recent upturn. He seems to have more of an eye for teammates and is executing more of his passes, and also seems to be more comfortable driving with the ball at the opposition backline.
His assist was the least he deserved, in what most people agree was his best game for the club in which he didn’t add his own name to the scoresheet.
O’Reilly is the first name on the teamsheet
At the heart of City’s midfield, O’Reilly is thriving as he goes from strength to strength.
Still only 20, the City academy graduate is undroppable at the moment as he delivers excellent performance after excellent performance wherever he plays.
Up until Rayan Ait-Nouri’s run in the team, he was first choice left back – then was able to fight off competition from the likes of Phil Foden and Tijjani Reijnders to become a regular starter in midfield.
He took both his goals well against the Magpies and offers so much in midfield along with Rodri and Bernardo Silva.
It’s definitely City’s best trio at the moment and should remain so for the foreseeable future, as harsh as that may be on quality players in Reijnders and Foden.
Depth at centre back is unbelievable
But as good as the depth in midfield is, the array of centre backs at City’s disposal is something else.
Many would’ve said at the start of this season that Josko Gvardiol was City’s best centre back. The Croatian defender looks set to miss most, if not all, of the rest of the season as he recovers from a leg break.
City responded by signing Marc Guehi in January, and what a signing he’s turned out to be. The former Crystal Palace captain has slotted in seamlessly and will be a key part of the next few years.
Abdukodir Khusanov has refined his game a lot and put in a fantastic second half display in place of Ruben Dias, who despite being replaced at half time for tactical reasons remains a vital part of the City project.
And we can’t forget about John Stones and Nathan Ake either. Both are probably going to leave in the summer but they remain quality footballers who can contribute for the rest of the season.
Max Alleyne’s minutes have been limited by the signing of Guehi and Stones and Dias returning to fitness, whilst there are promising young centre backs out on loan in the shape of Vitor Reis, Stephen Mfuni and Juma Bah.
Injuries meant it was one of City’s weakest areas last year, but now it appears City are set up well in that position for the next few years.
