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Eddie Howe had exhausted all options.

Previously, Howe had sent out teams that applied intense pressure against Manchester City. He tried alternative approaches with teams that dropped deeper. Various tactical setups were attempted, none proving successful.

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

Yet he found an answer.

When Newcastle desperately needed a positive result, following a difficult loss at Brentford before the international break, Howe and his team devised a tactical plan to secure their first victory against Manchester City.

The strategy paid dividends with a 2-1 win in front of a passionate home crowd giving Howe his maiden win over Guardiola's Manchester City in league competition.

"I've got lists and lists of things that haven't worked against them so I could probably tell you what doesn't," Howe stated. "Identifying successful tactics requires minimal documentation, but we learn from each experience and make adjustments. This was our process."

'I don't believe in radical overhauls'

Planning commenced in the aftermath of their Brentford setback.

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

Despite having fewer players available, Newcastle concentrated on regaining "their dynamism and physicality" during the break.

Several notable adjustments were implemented for Manchester City's visit.

Skipper Bruno Guimaraes took up a central midfield position, replacing Sandro Tonali who had occupied that spot, while returning full-backs Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento started together for the first time since September and made a substantial impact.

Defender Fabian Schar earned his first league start since autumn, coming in for Sven Botman.

However, rather than implementing radical changes, Howe maintained his preferred 4-3-3 system 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 don't agree with completely overhauling systems," Howe emphasized. "Only in crisis situations would I consider drastic changes, which this isn't, and that's not my approach.

"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 Steps Up Crucial Moments

Something clearly needed to change, however.

Prior to this game, only Wolves and Leeds United had netted fewer Premier League goals than Newcastle.

New signing Nick Woltemade had seemed detached, with minimal attacking supply, particularly away from home.

Despite Woltemade's absence with the German national team, the squad developed new supporting movements for their 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.

However, while Newcastle previously relied too heavily on Woltemade, additional squad members have started making important contributions.

Particularly Barnes.

The attacker squandered important chances in the opening period - including missing an empty net - and confessed he wasn't "the fan favorite" during the break.

However, Barnes not only broke the deadlock with a superb strike from distance after halftime, he secured victory moments after City leveled through 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 was an evening when Newcastle won more tackles and aerial duels, and made more blocks than their opponents.

While City dominated the ball, inevitably skewing the numbers, Newcastle defended resolutely with 36 clearances and limited City to only four accurate shots.

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

"Out of possession they were exceptional and created significant difficulties when City attempted to find spaces between the lines," he stated in his broadcast analysis. "After halftime I viewed them as the better side, repeatedly threatening City on breaks and netting two superb Barnes goals. What an enthralling contest."

Fortress St James' Park

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

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

Since the beginning of last season, Newcastle have won eight, drawn two and lost just two of their home fixtures against Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham across all competitions.

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

This explains why the team were just a single point above the relegation zone before Saturday's significant victory.

"While I'd like to assert that supporters shouldn't affect player performance, it completely changes dynamics," Howe acknowledged. "We must determine how to transfer positive energy into our away performances when we lack crowd support.

"That's our responsibility to resolve, whether through system adjustments, personnel changes. Regardless of the approach, we need to commit to finding remedies."