Newcastle's assistant manager Jason Tindall told Gianluigi Donnarumma to keep quiet after the Magpies withstood pressure at St James' Park. The world's top goalkeeper was left fuming and was irate that Harvey Barnes' winning goal at the Gallowgate End was allowed to stand. As Tindall celebrated exuberantly in the technical area, Manchester City's Donnarumma rushed out of his goal to confront him, only to be silenced by Eddie Howe's deputy.
And emotions ran high post-match too with Pep Guardiola clearly angry and also engaging in words with Tindall. Harvey Barnes' goals were merely the beginning as the tackles flew in and Newcastle resembled the team that stormed back into the Champions League last season. Despite all the chatter about the manager being under scrutiny, 50,000 Geordies made their feelings clear by chanting the duo's names loudly into the November night. This was a significant victory, setting Newcastle up confidently for trip to Marseille next week.
After Barnes had fired a first-minute shot at Donnarumma following a dreadful pass from the Italian keeper, City retaliated when Phil Foden set up Erling Haaland. However, after going one-on-one with Nick Pope, he squandered his chance horribly wide - much to the delight of the Gallowgate faithful.
Haaland secured a corner in the sixth minute, which eventually fell to Rayan Cherki, but his shot was drilled straight at Nick Pope. Twelve minutes into the game, Jacob Murphy delivered a superb cross for Nick Woltemade, whose powerful header was deflected by the former Paris St-Germain star.
Shortly after, Lewis Hall was tripped from behind by Ruben Dias, but referee Sam Barrott dismissed minor protests. England's Foden believed he had a shot at goal 17 minutes in, but Fabian Schar intervened with a well-timed challenge.
Despite a VAR review, the referee upheld his initial decision, much to City's dismay. Newcastle then weathered a handball appeal in the box and another VAR check after Malick Thiaw brushed the ball with his arm. However, the match remained goalless at the halfway point of the first half.
Woltemade made a breakaway attempt at the 25-minute mark, but Donnarumma once again made a solid save. Yet, the man many consider the world's best goalkeeper should have been retrieving the ball from his net at the half-hour mark.
On this occasion, Murphy sent a right-wing cross to the back post, but Barnes completely misjudged it. He failed to score before collapsing in a heap at the Leazes End when it seemed easier to find the back of the net.
Pope made a close-range save to deny Haaland a goal just 10 minutes before half-time, following Nico O'Reilly's cut-back. Both teams squandered significant opportunities, with Pep Guardiola visibly frustrated as Foden missed a close-range shot after receiving a pass from Cherki.
The first half was characterised by both sides missing numerous chances, leaving the score level at half-time. Woltemade was denied by Donnarumma at the Gallowgate End in another pivotal moment.
As Foden and Haaland continued to waste opportunities, the match hung in the balance for Newcastle, who were wary of a potential City counter-attack. However, the crowd erupted in the 63rd minute when United capitalised on a central attack.
Bruno advanced into the final third and nudged the ball towards Barnes, who this time didn't falter. Still haunted by previous missed chances, Barnes confidently steered the ball past the goalkeeper from 18 yards out.
After O'Reilly lost possession in midfield, Bruno and Barnes executed a superb one-two, culminating in the winger scoring. But the celebration was short-lived, lasting only four minutes before City retaliated after Newcastle failed to clear their lines.
Bernardo Silva's cross was partially cleared by Lewis Hall, but Ruben Dias managed to squeeze the ball through Schar's legs and into the net. With 20 minutes remaining, Barnes struck again after Woltemade's header across the goal was headed off the bar by Bruno.
Barnes calmly slotted the ball over the line, and after a tense VAR check for potential offside, the goal was confirmed - much to the delight of Newcastle. In a bold move at 2-1 down, Guardiola substituted Jeremy Doku, Rayan Cherki, and Bernardo Silva, bringing on Oscar Bobb, Savinho, and Tijjani Reijnders.
Newcastle introduced Joe Willock and Anthony Elanga in the final stages of the match as Barnes exited to a standing ovation, with a visibly exhausted Woltemade being replaced by Willock.
Man City brought on their £59m substitute Omar Marmoush for Foden in the dying minutes. However, they were unable to find another equaliser, and the Magpies clung on for a vital three points. The question for Newcastle fans is why can't they perform like this every week?