Pep Guardiola Clashes with Newcastle Player in Tense Exchange
- Newcastle defeated Manchester City 2-1 at St James’ Park, with Harvey Barnes scoring twice, impacting City’s title challenge
- Pep Guardiola was involved in heated confrontations with referee Sam Barrott and Newcastle players Joelinton and Bruno Guimarães after the match
- The result leaves City third in the English Premier League, four points behind leaders Arsenal, while Newcastle climb to 14th
Pep Guardiola was at the center of a tense confrontation following Newcastle’s 2-1 victory over Manchester City at St James’ Park, a result that further complicates City’s title challenge.
Harvey Barnes’ brace proved decisive, dealing a blow to the reigning Premier League champions’ hopes of closing the gap on leaders Arsenal, who had a game in hand.
Source: Getty Images
The victory also coincided with Liverpool’s 3-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest, making it a tough weekend for England’s defending champions.
The match saw Barnes open the scoring with a superb strike in the 64th minute that left City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma with no chance.
Manchester City responded quickly, as Ruben Dias equalised just four minutes later. Yet Newcastle regained the lead on 70 minutes, when Barnes bundled home his second goal of the night.
There was some debate about a potential offside in the build-up, but after a VAR review, the goal was allowed to stand.
The Premier League Match Centre shared graphics on X confirming both Bruno Guimarães and Barnes were onside, and there was no foul on Donnarumma prior to the goal, putting the decision beyond doubt.
After the match, Pep Guardiola’s frustration boiled over as he confronted referee Sam Barrott on the pitch.
The City manager was visibly agitated and engaged in heated words, not only with the official but also with Newcastle players Joelinton and Bruno Guimarães.
Joelinton appeared to exchange words with Guardiola before being restrained by teammates, while Guimarães had a brief but tense exchange with the Spaniard, pulling him back momentarily before Guardiola eventually walked away.
Guardiola even appeared to confront a camera operator on the pitch during the commotion.
Source: Getty Images
In a post-match interview, Guardiola was asked about his conversation with Guimarães, replying via the BBC:
“I said how good he is (but that conversation) is for private situations. Everything is fine.” On the VAR decision regarding Barnes’ winner, he initially stated: “I didn’t see it. I didn’t see it,” but later told BBC’s Match of the Day: “It happened in the Bournemouth game and it happened today again. It is what it is after VAR decided. They know perfectly.”
Newcastle assistant coach Jason Tindall also became involved in a heated moment with Donnarumma, while Joelinton continued to gesture and shout towards the Italian.
The result leaves City in third place, four points behind Arsenal, while Newcastle climb to 14th after a much-needed victory following a stuttering start to their season.
Guardiola’s side now turns their attention to the Champions League clash against Bayer Leverkusen on November 25 before returning to Premier League action against Leeds at the Etihad on November 29, as they look to recover from a challenging weekend on and off the pitch.
Guardiola lauds Semenyo
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Manchester City manager Guardiola has lavished praise on Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo, describing him as an “extraordinary player” ahead of Sunday’s Premier League showdown at the Etihad Stadium.
Source: YEN.com.gh
