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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. He experimented with multiple formations, all without positive results.

It reached the point where Howe was only partially joking when he stated "we don't have anything new left" before Saturday's match.

But he discovered a solution.

Following a bruising loss at Brentford, the Magpies urgently needed to bounce back, The Newcastle management created a blueprint to finally defeat Guardiola's team.

Their approach worked perfectly, resulting in a 2-1 triumph at a vibrant St James' Park giving Howe his maiden win over Guardiola's Manchester City in league competition.

"My records show numerous failed strategies against City, making clear what doesn't work," Howe stated. "Telling you what does is a very small piece of paper, but you just try and learn from experience and just tweak something the next time. This was our process."

'I don't believe in radical overhauls'

Planning commenced in the aftermath of their Brentford setback.

Howe spent numerous hours examining game film, assessing training and searching for fixes to their up-and-down form.

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.

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 also made his first top-flight start in two months, replacing centre-back Sven Botman.

However, rather than implementing radical changes, Howe maintained his preferred 4-3-3 system while two adjustments were enforced due to the absence of injured players 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 declared. "Only in crisis situations would I consider drastic changes, which this isn't, and that's not my approach.

"I believe I have a clear understanding of our strongest players and I want to provide them every opportunity to demonstrate their qualities by supporting them and facilitating their growth."

Barnes Delivers When It Matters

However, transformation was undoubtedly required.

Only the struggling offenses of Wolves and Leeds had produced fewer goals than Newcastle this season.

Record signing Nick Woltemade had appeared isolated, with limited service, particularly in away matches.

Despite Woltemade's absence with the German national team, the squad developed new supporting movements for their forward featuring Barnes and Jacob Murphy, to optimize his contribution after his international commitment.

Newcastle certainly created opportunities for Woltemade on Saturday, who was denied on three occasions by Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

But whereas Newcastle were once overly dependent on Woltemade, other players have begun to contribute significantly.

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.

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.

However, they maintained composure when City drew level and during eight additional minutes.

This performance saw Newcastle dominate physical battles, winning more challenges and defensive actions.

Although Manchester City controlled possession, which naturally affects the statistics, Newcastle stood firm and made nearly twice as many clearances (36) and restricted the visitors to just four shots on target.

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

"Without the ball they were magnificent, complicating City's efforts to penetrate defensive lines," he told BBC Radio 5 Live. "Second half I considered them the superior team, consistently catching City on counter-attacks and ultimately scoring two magnificent goals by Barnes. What an entertaining match."

St James' Stronghold

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.

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

This accounts for their position just one point clear of the bottom three prior to Saturday's important win.

"Although I wish to state that atmosphere shouldn't impact gameplay, it fundamentally alters proceedings," Howe conceded. "We have to discover ways to create positivity in road games without spectator backing.

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