Barnes brace keeps Haaland stuck on 99 as Newcastle edge City
Harvey Barnes scored twice in seven second half minutes as Newcastle beat Manchester City: Pic: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire.
ERLING Haaland was made to wait for his 100th Premier League goal as a player seemingly unable to hit a barn door, until belatedly finding his shooting boots, showed the Norwegian how it should be done.
Harvey Barnes looked like having one of those nights after passing-up gilt-edged chances to put Newcastle ahead before the former Leicester winger atoned in perfect fashion with two goals in the space of seven second-half minutes to secure a sixth consecutive home win for Eddie Howe's side.
Haaland remains on 99 but still has another 14 games to reach his century in fewer games than the current best of 124 held by Geordie legend and Premier League all-time top scorer Alan Shearer.
Pep Guardiola's third-place side trail leaders Arsenal by four points after stumbling to only a second defeat in 15 games in an open encounter which with better finishing - Barnes and Phil Foden being among the main culprits - could have seen the sides share seven or eight goals.
Gianluigi Donnarumma stood out in goal, yet almost gifted Newcastle an opening goal inside the first 30 seconds.
The keeper's lacklustre pass out saw Foden dispossessed to present Barnes with a golden opportunity to score, only for the winger's 18-yard shot to resemble a backpass to the relieved Italian.
It wasn't Barnes' most glaring miss. Midway through the first-half the Newcastle midfielder somehow managed to fire wide of an open goal from six yards after meeting a Jacob Murphy cross unmarked at the far post.
There was a hint of offside in the move, but there was no flag to spare Barnes' blushes at such an almighty gaffe.
Haaland could have secured his century as early as the third minute. City's talisman sprinted through a gaping hole in the Newcastle backline to meet Jeremy Doku's perfectly-weighted through ball, only to send a tame chip beyond the on-rushing Nick Pope but harmlessly off target.
Pope stood firm later in the half to block Haaland's powerful first-time effort at the near post after the increasingly influential Doku released Nico O'Reilly to provide an inviting cut-back.
Donnarumma remained the busier of the keepers, diving low to his right to block a powerful Nick Woltemade header, before later denying the German with a smart block after Barnes released the in-form forward to shoot from the edge of the City area.
There was still time for Newcastle to survive two VAR reviews for penalties - first for Fabian Schar's challenge on Foden and then for a handball appeal against Malick Thiaw from Doku's shot. Foden attempted to match Barnes' early ineptitude in front of goal by sending a first time shot wide from a dozen yards after neatly exchanging passes with Rayan Cherki.
Sparking a hectic spell of three goals in seven minutes, Barnes finally made amends just after the hour as the 27-year-old took by far the most difficult of the chances presented to him. Guimaraes surged forward from halfway to feed his team-mate to pass home his fifth goal of the season into the bottom right hand corner of Donnarumma's net.
The lead lasted just five minutes. Ruben Dias, whose previous Premier League goal arrived at this venue four years ago, fired home right-footed through a crowd of players from close range after Newcastle failed to clear a corner.
The hosts immediately picked themselves up off the canvas to retake the lead with 20 minutes remaining, Barnes following up to back heel the ball home from close range after Guimaraes' header from a Woltemade knock down came back off the bar.
A seemingly interminable VAR check for offside followed, but as the cross-checking approached five minutes, the lines came down in favour of the hosts and the goal stood. The cheer in the red half of North London was almost as audible as the one from Tyneside.
Pope 7; Livramento 7, Thiaw 8, Schar 7, Hall 7 (Botman 77, 6); Guimaraes 8, Tonali 6, Joelinton 6; Murphy 7, Woltemade 7 (Willock 85, 5), Barnes 8 (Elanga 85, 5). Booked: Joelinton.
Donnarumma 8; Nunes 6, Ruben Dias 7, Gvardiol 7, O'Reilly 7; Bernardo Silva 6 (Reijnders 77, 6), Gonzalez 6, Foden 5 (Marmoush 87, 6); Cherki 6 (Bobb 77, 6), Haaland 6, Doku 8 (Savinho 76, 6). Booked: Donnarumma, Bobb.
Sam Barrott
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