Harvey Barnes lit up St James Park with a match winning display that sent Newcastle fans home buzzing after a wild Premier League battle with Manchester City. The winger struck twice and tore into the champions with the sort of fearlessness that makes crowds believe anything is possible.
Barnes needed only a few minutes to make his mark. Newcastle came flying out of the traps and the forward snapped up the opener with a crisp finish that had the whole ground bouncing. City replied through Ruben Dias, although the defender needed a hefty slice of luck as his strike clipped Fabian Schar and wrong footed Nick Pope after the home side failed to deal with a corner.
Most teams would have folded under the pressure once City had dragged themselves level. Instead Newcastle rolled up their sleeves and hit back with proper grit. Jacob Murphy whipped in a teasing ball that begged to be attacked. Bruno Guimaraes rose highest and saw his thumping header crash against the bar. While City defenders waited for the rebound to drop kindly, Barnes reacted like lightning and hooked the ball over the line.
Cue bedlam. Cue a long and tense check with VAR for offside. And cue a fresh explosion of joy when the goal was finally confirmed. Eddie Howe punched the air on the touchline. He knew how much this meant after the bruising defeat at Brentford left his players needing a spark. They found it here and then some, claiming a precious victory over Pep Guardiola and his expensively assembled squad.
City will feel they should have left Tyneside with far more. Gianluigi Donnarumma made several strong stops, including three big saves from Nick Woltemade, and City carved out enough chances to take control. They wanted a penalty when Phil Foden tumbled under a challenge from Schar but the referee waved play on and VAR agreed. Their frustration only grew as chances went begging.
Erling Haaland endured a rare off day. He saw one effort blocked by Pope who stood tall to shut the door after Nico O Reilly teed up the striker. Moments earlier Haaland had sent a delicate chip drifting wide after being slipped through by Jeremy Doku. Foden also squandered a golden opening after a slick one two with Rayan Cherki.
None of it mattered in the end. Newcastle defended with heart, chased every loose ball and refused to be bullied by a side used to doing the bullying. As the final whistle blew, Howe soaked up the roar of a crowd that knew they had witnessed something special. His first league win over City arrived in style and it owed everything to the man of the moment. Harvey Barnes, match winner, headline maker and the hero of a joyous night on Tyneside.