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Eddie Howe had exhausted all options.

Newcastle's manager had experimented with high-pressing tactics against City. He fielded others who adopted deeper defensive positions. Various tactical setups were attempted, none proving successful.

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

But he discovered a solution.

When Newcastle desperately needed a positive result, following a difficult loss at Brentford before the international break, The Newcastle management created a blueprint to finally defeat Guardiola's team.

And their planning proved successful following a 2-1 victory at an electric St James' Park marking Howe's initial Premier League success against Guardiola's side after 16 previous failures.

"I have extensive documentation of unsuccessful approaches against them, so I know what to avoid," Howe explained. "The list of effective methods is brief, but we continuously learn and refine our approach. This was our process."

'Gradual improvements preferred'

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.

Although working with a reduced training group, Newcastle focused on rediscovering "their energy and athleticism" during the international break.

Important modifications were made specifically for the City match.

Bruno Guimaraes was deployed centrally in midfield, a role previously held by Sandro Tonali, as full-backs Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento began a match together for the first time in months and proved highly influential.

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

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'm against making wholesale changes," Howe emphasized. "Unless the situation becomes desperate, which it hasn't, and that's not my managerial philosophy.

"I possess strong insight into our top talent and strive to create optimal conditions for their development by assisting them and encouraging their progress."

Barnes Rises to the Occasion

Nevertheless, adjustments were clearly necessary.

Only struggling Wolves and Leeds United had scored fewer goals than Newcastle in the top flight before this match.

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 including Barnes and Jacob Murphy, to enhance his performance when he rejoined the team.

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

Although Newcastle had become too Woltemade-focused, other attackers have emerged as reliable options.

Especially 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.

The Magpies had held advantages against Arsenal, Brentford and West Ham but ended up defeated.

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

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.

That defensive performance impressed former Newcastle defender 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. "In the second period I judged them the dominant team, frequently exposing City in transition and finishing with two excellent Barnes strikes. What a spectacular game."

Home Dominance Continues

However, should this victory at a illuminated St James' Park be considered completely unexpected?

Only City (13) have collected more home league wins than Newcastle (11) in the current season.

Beginning last season, the Magpies have achieved eight wins, two draws and merely two losses at St James' Park versus elite Premier League opposition.

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

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 acknowledged. "We need to identify methods to generate momentum in away matches without fan assistance.

"That's our responsibility to resolve, whether through system adjustments, personnel changes. Whatever the solution, we must work diligently to find answers."