Man City Player Ratings vs. Newcastle: Citizens Dazzle to Keep Quadruple Hopes Alive

Manchester City comfortably defeated Newcastle United 3–1 on Saturday night to advance to the FA Cup quarterfinals in style.

The Citizens got off to a nightmare start at St James’ Park after Harvey Barnes gave the Magpies the early lead with a sensational finish into the top-right corner. Pep Guardiola’s men soon hunkered down and got themselves back into the game with a lucky finish off Savinho’s standing leg in the 39th minute.

What was a relatively even match got blown open after the restart. Omar Marmoush bagged the go-ahead goal in the 47th minute before sealing the win just past the hour-mark with an absolute rocket.

The victory not only sends Man City to the FA Cup quarterfinals, but keeps the club’s quadruple hopes alive. Next up in their quest to make history is a trip to the Bernabéu to take on Real Madrid in the Champions League round of 16.

Winners and Losers

Winners

Omar Marmoush was the star of the show at St James’ Park. The pressure was on the forward to carry the goalscoring load of his team with both Erling Haaland and Antoine Semenyo on the bench, and he delivered tenfold. His close-range finish in the 47th minute would have been enough to garner some praise, but the cracking finish he sent into the back of the net to seal the game was simply sensational.

In his first start since returning from injury, Jérémy Doku put in an eye-catching performance. Things started slow for the Belgian, but he grew into the game alongside Man City. The winger’s pace was no match for Newcastle right back Kieran Trippier, and his exceptional playmaking was on full display when he set up his side’s opener.

Losers

James Trafford failed to impress in a rare start. The goalkeeper committed a horrible blunder in the 11th minute that should have led to a Newcastle goal, needed Nico González to make a goal line clearance and delivered poor service out the back all night long. The Englishman is lucky the Magpies did not truly test him in the second half.

Nico O’Reilly had an impressive February headlined by his brace to lift Man City over Newcastle in the Premier League. Yet the 20-year-old got nothing going this time around against Eddie Howe’s men. Not only did he create zero chances and manage just one measly shot, but he lost nine of his 11 duels.

Man City Player Ratings vs. Newcastle (4-2-3-1)

Manchester City — Man City fought back to claim another convincing victory over the Magpies. | Ben Roberts/Danehouse/Getty Images

*Ratings Provided by FotMob*

GK: James Trafford—6.5: Almost gifted Newcastle a goal inside the first 11 minutes of the match when he failed to deal with an inswinging corner. Recovered, but only because his team took the sting out of the game.

RB: Matheus Nunes—8.3: Absolutely torched by Harvey Barnes on multiple occasions, including in the build-up to the game’s opener. Made up for it by creating two of his side’s three goals.

CB: John Stones—7.9: Beaten for pace at an alarming rate. Struggled to get back in transition and looked nervy when called upon. Pressure alleviated once his team took over the game

CB: Abdukodir Khusanov—7.5: Did well to cover for Stones’s shortcomings. Held William Osula to zero shots on target in 63 minutes on the pitch.

LB: Nathan Aké—7.3: Logged 90 minutes for the first time since January and looked solid while doing so. An encouraging performance that will leave Guardiola smiling.

DM: Nico González—7.7: Played hero in the early stages to clear what would have been a surefire goal off the line. Hesitant to shoot when the ball fell to him at the top of the box.

DM: Nico O’Reilly—6.6: An anonymous outing. Only completed 23 passes, was poor in the air and never looked much a threat to create or score.

RW: Savinho—8.2: Didn’t know much about his finish, but he won’t care. Got Man City in the game with his goal, which opened his account in 2026.

AM: Tijjani Reijnders—7.2: Did his job with little fanfare. Might lose sleep over the chance he squandered in the 40th minute.

LW: Jérémy Doku—8.0: Simply dazzled after a slow start. Was virtually untouchable when dribbling down the left flank, set up his side’s opening goal and bossed the second half with flare.

ST: Omar Marmoush—8.8: The man of the night for Man City. Only took 26 touches, yet he bagged a brace. Reminded the world just how lethal of a finisher he is when given the right opportunity.

SUB: Antoine Semenyo (73’ for Marmoush)—6.1: Put in a lively cameo in which he did not misplace a pass.

SUB: Phil Foden (79’ for Doku)—5.9: Came on the pitch for a light jog.

SUB: Rayan Cherki (79’ for Savinho)—6.6: Impressed in flashes but to no avail.

Subs not used: Gianluigi Donnarumma (GK), Marc Guéhi, Rayan Aït-Nouri, Rúben Dias, Bernardo Silva, Rodri.

What the Ratings Tell Us

Savinho (left) opened the scoring for Man City. | Paul Currie/AFP/Getty Images

Even with Pep Guardiola’s preferred attack sitting on the bench, his frontline of Jérémy Doku, Omar Marmoush and Savinho all rose to the occasion on Saturday night. The three players combined for three goals and one assist to carry the team to victory.
Speaking of Marmoush, the Egypt international bagged an electrifying brace to snap his five-game goalscoring drought. Sure, he will not take Erling Haaland’s place in the XI, but he provides some much-needed depth to a Man City team still alive in four competitions.
James Trafford did little to instill confidence between the posts. The goalkeeper looked nervy at best and lacked confidence when called upon, which won’t help his quest to somehow become the Citizens’ starter in the future.

The Numbers That Explain Man City’s Convincing Win

Pep Guardiola’s dreams of a quadruple are still alive. | Paul Currie/AFP/Getty Images

Man City recovered well after going down early, responding with 21 total shots on the night, eight of which were on target.
Even with a majority of his starters on the bench, Pep Guardiola still watched with a smile as his side completed 455 passes, which doubled Newcastle’s 222.
The visitors created seven big chances, much in part thanks to Matheus Nunes and Jérémy Doku’s blossoming creativity.

Statistic	Newcastle	Man City
Possession	37%	63%
Expected Goals (xG)	1.14	3.43
Total Shots	11	21
Shots on Target	4	8
Big Chances	4	7
Passing Accuracy	73%	87%
Fouls Committed	12	16
Corners	3	9