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Eddie Howe had exhausted all options.

Newcastle's manager had experimented with high-pressing tactics against City. He fielded others who adopted deeper defensive positions. He experimented with multiple formations, all without positive results.

It reached the point where Howe was only partially joking when he stated "we don't have anything new left" before Saturday's match.

Yet he found an answer.

When Newcastle desperately needed a positive result, following a difficult loss at Brentford before the international break, Howe and his coaching staff developed a strategy to finally overcome Manchester City in the Premier League.

Their approach worked perfectly, resulting in a 2-1 triumph at a vibrant St James' Park as Howe secured his first top-flight victory against Pep Guardiola's team at his 17th attempt.

"I've got lists and lists of things that haven't worked against them so I could probably tell you what doesn't," Howe explained. "The list of effective methods is brief, but we continuously learn and refine our approach. That's what we did."

'Gradual improvements preferred'

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.

Although working with a reduced training group, Newcastle focused on rediscovering "their energy and athleticism" during the international break.

Some significant tactical changes were introduced against Manchester City.

Bruno Guimaraes was deployed centrally in midfield, a role previously held by Sandro Tonali, while returning full-backs Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento started together for the first time since September and made a substantial impact.

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 and two of the three modifications to his starting lineup were essentially forced after Kieran Trippier and Anthony Gordon missed out through injury.

The core group from the Brentford and West Ham matches were provided with redemption opportunities.

"I don't support the idea of tearing everything down," Howe declared. "Unless the situation becomes desperate, which it hasn't, and that's not my managerial philosophy.

"I believe I have a clear understanding of our strongest players and I want to provide them every opportunity to demonstrate their qualities through guidance and development opportunities."

Barnes Steps Up Crucial Moments

Nevertheless, adjustments were clearly necessary.

Prior to this game, only Wolves and Leeds United had netted fewer Premier League goals than Newcastle.

High-profile acquisition Nick Woltemade had looked disconnected, receiving inadequate support, especially on the road.

While Woltemade was on international duty with Germany, Newcastle practiced varied attacking patterns around their striker including Barnes and Jacob Murphy, to enhance his performance when he rejoined the team.

Newcastle manufactured several scoring opportunities for Woltemade, but the City goalkeeper produced three important stops.

Although Newcastle had become too Woltemade-focused, other attackers have emerged as reliable options.

Notably Barnes.

Barnes wasted crucial opportunities before halftime - even missing from close range - and acknowledged he wasn't "the most appreciated player" at intermission.

However, Barnes not only broke the deadlock with a superb strike from distance after halftime, he secured victory moments after City leveled through Ruben Dias.

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

Yet they remained resilient after City's equalizer and throughout eight minutes of added time.

This was an evening when Newcastle won more tackles and aerial duels, and made more blocks than their opponents.

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.

This defensive effort was praised by former Magpies defender Jonathan Woodgate.

"Defensively they were outstanding, making it extremely challenging for City to exploit gaps in midfield," he stated in his broadcast analysis. "In the second period I judged them the dominant team, frequently exposing City in transition and finishing with two excellent Barnes strikes. What a spectacular game."

Fortress St James' Park

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

Only City (13) have collected more home league wins than Newcastle (11) in the current season.

Since the beginning of last season, Newcastle have won eight, drawn two and lost just two of their home fixtures against Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham across all competitions.

Yet in away matches, Newcastle have failed to win a Premier League game 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 acknowledged. "We must determine how to transfer positive energy into our away performances when we lack crowd support.

"This is our challenge to address, whether via tactical modifications, roster decisions. Regardless of the approach, we need to commit to finding remedies."