Manchester City 0-2 Newcastle: Rolando Aarons and Moussa Sissoko strike to knock holders out of the Capital One Cup
This could well turn out to be the best night of Manchester United's season so far, which is pretty odd given that they weren't playing.
Here at the Etihad Stadium that will host Sunday's Manchester derby, United's neighbours and modern superiors managed to extend their winless run to three games. By their current standards, that represents a slump for Manchester City.
Worse than that, City lost their playmaker David Silva to a knee injury.
City manager Manuel Pellegrini's tactic of fielding strong teams in the competition that gave him his first English trophy last season is generally admirable.
On Wednesday night, though, it began to look a little reckless as Silva limped off after five minutes with a knee problem and Yaya Toure exited on the hour with a tight groin.
Pellegrini admitted this week that he smiled when United's Robin van Persie scored an equaliser against Chelsea in the Barclays Premier League at the weekend.
Well, now it was Louis van Gaal's turn. The United manager will head east across town on Sunday with more confidence than previously he might.
Certainly City were poor against an admirably ambitious Newcastle side.
Young forward Rolando Aarons scored the first goal in just the sixth minute and there could have been a couple more before substitute Moussa Sissoko shimmied through for one of the goals of the season with 15 minutes left.
Pellegrini continues to do his best to appear sanguine. His team, he says, are no better or worse than they were this time last season. The statistics, though, are unpleasant.
Not only have City won just six of their fifteen games in all competitions this season, they are now on a three-match winless run for the second time in a season that is less than three months old.
To place this in proper context, this didn't happen at all last season. Indeed the last time it did prior to this campaign was February 2013.
So what does this all add up to? A heap of bad news and bad omens ahead of Sunday, that's for sure.
In all likelihood, Premier League leaders Chelsea will be nine points clear of City by the time the derby commences and Pellegrini can only hope improvement arrives quickly.
If City were a little unfortunate to lose at West Ham last weekend, they were not here. Against a Newcastle team that hadn't beaten them in 17 attempts and that contained six new players following Sunday's surprise win at Tottenham, they were pretty wretched in all areas of the field and could really have lost by more.
Newcastle were brave and progressive but still limited. They played very well and it is hard not to feel pleased for manager Alan Pardew given all he has been through in recent times.
City, though, began badly, gifted Newcastle a goal and never really recovered.
Only a minute or so had passed following Silva's injury – caused accidentally by Newcastle's Ryan Taylor – when City midfielder Fernandinho gave the ball away in midfield and England Under 20 star Aarons raced clear to slide a shot between the legs of reserve goalkeeper Willy Caballero.
Caballero could have done better. He looked indecisive as Aarons advanced. The mistake was Fernandinho's, though. The Brazilian did the same thing in the World Cup semi-final against Germany. This time the stakes were rather lower but the error just as rudimentary.
City did manage to rouse themselves a little and played some relatively progressive football as they chased the game. There were two chances for Stevan Jovetic in the first half while Newcastle defender Fabricio Coloccini sliced a clearance against his own post.
Newcastle, though, should have been at least one more goal better off by half-time. Paul Dummett volleyed a chance from a corner against Caballero's legs just after the half hour while young centre forward Adam Armstrong almost slid a Daryl Janmaat cross in at the near post in the 45th minute.
In to the second half and Newcastle for a time looked as though they would be undone by poor decisions by referee Stuart Attwell.
Due to return to the Premier League after a two year absence this weekend, Attwell will hope to have a better game than he did here. His decision not to award Newcastle a penalty when Aleksandar Kolarov scythed down the breaking Gabriel Obertan in the 68th minute represented as big a blunder as anything committed by those in sky blue.
Kolarov should have been sent off, too, and these injustices could have derailed Newcastle as Pellegrini threw on Sergio Aguero and chased the game hard.
As it was, Sissoko wrapped up his team's unlikely victory in the 75th minute, throwing the hapless Fernandinho an outrageous dummy on the edge of the penalty area, surging past Bacary Sagna and beating Caballero across his body with a toe poke in to the far corner.
It was a superb goal that capped Newcastle's wonderful night. Twice City went close at the death but by then it all looked a bit desperate. In truth, they perhaps did themselves a favour. Extra-time would have done them no good at all.
'We are not playing well, we are in a difficult moment with a lack of trust,' said Pellegrini afterwards.
'We conceded two easy goals. There is a lack of confidence which we must change as soon as possible.
'We are not playing as fast as we can, as freely as a team. I am worried about how we are playing but we can improve.'
With a Manchester derby looming, Pellegrini must hope he is right.
City manager Manuel Pellegrini's tactic of fielding strong teams in the competition that gave him his first English trophy last season is generally admirable.
On Wednesday night, though, it began to look a little reckless as Silva limped off after five minutes with a knee problem and Yaya Toure exited on the hour with a tight groin.
Pellegrini admitted this week that he smiled when United's Robin van Persie scored an equaliser against Chelsea in the Barclays Premier League at the weekend.
Well, now it was Louis van Gaal's turn. The United manager will head east across town on Sunday with more confidence than previously he might.
Certainly City were poor against an admirably ambitious Newcastle side.
Young forward Rolando Aarons scored the first goal in just the sixth minute and there could have been a couple more before substitute Moussa Sissoko shimmied through for one of the goals of the season with 15 minutes left.
Pellegrini continues to do his best to appear sanguine. His team, he says, are no better or worse than they were this time last season. The statistics, though, are unpleasant.
Not only have City won just six of their fifteen games in all competitions this season, they are now on a three-match winless run for the second time in a season that is less than three months old.
To place this in proper context, this didn't happen at all last season. Indeed the last time it did prior to this campaign was February 2013.
So what does this all add up to? A heap of bad news and bad omens ahead of Sunday, that's for sure.
In all likelihood, Premier League leaders Chelsea will be nine points clear of City by the time the derby commences and Pellegrini can only hope improvement arrives quickly.
If City were a little unfortunate to lose at West Ham last weekend, they were not here. Against a Newcastle team that hadn't beaten them in 17 attempts and that contained six new players following Sunday's surprise win at Tottenham, they were pretty wretched in all areas of the field and could really have lost by more.
Newcastle were brave and progressive but still limited. They played very well and it is hard not to feel pleased for manager Alan Pardew given all he has been through in recent times.
City, though, began badly, gifted Newcastle a goal and never really recovered.
Only a minute or so had passed following Silva's injury – caused accidentally by Newcastle's Ryan Taylor – when City midfielder Fernandinho gave the ball away in midfield and England Under 20 star Aarons raced clear to slide a shot between the legs of reserve goalkeeper Willy Caballero.
Caballero could have done better. He looked indecisive as Aarons advanced. The mistake was Fernandinho's, though. The Brazilian did the same thing in the World Cup semi-final against Germany. This time the stakes were rather lower but the error just as rudimentary.
City did manage to rouse themselves a little and played some relatively progressive football as they chased the game. There were two chances for Stevan Jovetic in the first half while Newcastle defender Fabricio Coloccini sliced a clearance against his own post.
Newcastle, though, should have been at least one more goal better off by half-time. Paul Dummett volleyed a chance from a corner against Caballero's legs just after the half hour while young centre forward Adam Armstrong almost slid a Daryl Janmaat cross in at the near post in the 45th minute.
In to the second half and Newcastle for a time looked as though they would be undone by poor decisions by referee Stuart Attwell.
Due to return to the Premier League after a two year absence this weekend, Attwell will hope to have a better game than he did here. His decision not to award Newcastle a penalty when Aleksandar Kolarov scythed down the breaking Gabriel Obertan in the 68th minute represented as big a blunder as anything committed by those in sky blue.
Kolarov should have been sent off, too, and these injustices could have derailed Newcastle as Pellegrini threw on Sergio Aguero and chased the game hard.
As it was, Sissoko wrapped up his team's unlikely victory in the 75th minute, throwing the hapless Fernandinho an outrageous dummy on the edge of the penalty area, surging past Bacary Sagna and beating Caballero across his body with a toe poke in to the far corner.
It was a superb goal that capped Newcastle's wonderful night. Twice City went close at the death but by then it all looked a bit desperate. In truth, they perhaps did themselves a favour. Extra-time would have done them no good at all.
'We are not playing well, we are in a difficult moment with a lack of trust,' said Pellegrini afterwards.
'We conceded two easy goals. There is a lack of confidence which we must change as soon as possible.
'We are not playing as fast as we can, as freely as a team. I am worried about how we are playing but we can improve.'
With a Manchester derby looming, Pellegrini must hope he is right.
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