Eddie Howe secured his first-ever Premier League victory against Pep Guardiola on Saturday, as a Harvey Barnes double powered Newcastle United to a vital 2-1 win at a vibrant St James’ Park.
The victory, achieved in Howe’s 17th top-flight attempt against a Guardiola side, followed a period of intense reflection after a poor run of form.
Howe, who stuck to his favoured 4-3-3 formation while making key personnel changes (including Guimaraes, Hall, and Livramento), credited the breakthrough to learning from past failures.
“I’ve got lists and lists of things that haven’t worked against them,” Howe said. “Telling you what does is a very small piece of paper.”
After missing several first-half chances, Barnes redeemed himself by opening the scoring and then netting the winner just minutes after Rúben Dias had equalized for City.
The Magpies’ defence was resolute, making 36 clearances and limiting the visitors to only four shots on target.
The win underscores Newcastle’s remarkable home form, though Howe stressed the urgent need to transfer that success away from St James’ Park, where the club has not won a top-flight fixture since April.
