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Howe had tried numerous approaches.

The Newcastle United head coach previously deployed sides who pressed Manchester City aggressively. He fielded others who adopted deeper defensive positions. Different systems were tested, but none yielded victory.

The situation had deteriorated to where Howe half-seriously claimed "we've exhausted our options" pre-game.

Yet he found an answer.

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 marking Howe's initial Premier League success against Guardiola's side after 16 previous failures.

"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. "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. That's what we did."

'Strategic evolution over revolution'

The foundation was established in the days following Newcastle's 3-1 defeat at Brentford this month.

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

With a smaller squad during the international period, the team worked on restoring "their vitality and movement".

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

Captain Bruno Guimaraes was assigned a central role in the midfield three, where Sandro Tonali had been positioned for most of the past year, as full-backs Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento began a match together for the first time in months and proved highly influential.

Fabian Schar returned to the starting lineup for the first time in two months, taking Sven Botman's position.

Nonetheless, instead of making sweeping alterations, Howe stuck with his favored 4-3-3 formation while two adjustments were enforced due to the absence of injured players Kieran Trippier and Anthony Gordon.

Most of the squad members who played at Brentford and during the disappointing West Ham loss received chances to make amends.

"I don't support the idea of tearing everything down," Howe stated. "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 through guidance and development opportunities."

Barnes Rises to the Occasion

However, transformation was undoubtedly required.

Only struggling Wolves and Leeds United had scored fewer goals than Newcastle in the top flight before this match.

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 featuring Barnes and Jacob Murphy, to optimize his contribution after his international commitment.

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 forward was responsible for several significant misses in the first half - even failing to hit the target with an open goal - and admitted he was not "the most popular man" at halftime.

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.

Newcastle had been ahead versus Arsenal, Brentford and West Ham but surrendered their leads.

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

However, should this victory at a illuminated St James' Park be considered completely unexpected?

Only Manchester City (13) have won more Premier League home games than Howe's team (11) in 2025.

Beginning last season, the Magpies have achieved eight wins, two draws and merely two losses at St James' Park versus elite Premier League opposition.

However, away from home, Newcastle haven't triumphed in the top flight since April.

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

"As much as I'd prefer to claim the crowd shouldn't influence on-field performance, it transforms everything," Howe conceded. "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. Whatever the solution, we must work diligently to find answers."