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The Newcastle manager had tested various strategies.

Previously, Howe had sent out teams that applied intense pressure against Manchester City. Other formations saw his team sitting back defensively. Different systems were tested, but none yielded victory.

Howe was barely exaggerating when he said "we've tried everything" ahead of the weekend fixture.

But he discovered a solution.

After suffering a disappointing defeat at Brentford prior to the international break, Newcastle required a response, Howe and his team devised a tactical plan to secure their first victory against Manchester City.

Their approach worked perfectly, resulting in a 2-1 triumph at a vibrant St James' Park marking Howe's initial Premier League success against Guardiola's side after 16 previous failures.

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

'I don't believe in radical overhauls'

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.

With a smaller squad during the international period, the team worked on restoring "their vitality and movement".

Several notable adjustments were implemented for Manchester City's visit.

Bruno Guimaraes was deployed centrally in midfield, a role previously held by Sandro Tonali, with returning defenders Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento making their first joint start since autumn and creating a significant difference.

Fabian Schar also made his first top-flight start in two months, replacing centre-back Sven Botman.

However, rather than implementing radical changes, Howe maintained his preferred 4-3-3 system while two adjustments were enforced due to the absence of injured players Kieran Trippier and Anthony Gordon.

Most of the squad members who played at Brentford and during the disappointing West Ham loss received chances to make amends.

"I'm against making wholesale changes," Howe stated. "Unless you're in absolute panic mode, which we're not, and I don't believe in that style of leadership anyway.

"I believe I have a clear understanding of our strongest players and I want to provide them every opportunity to demonstrate their qualities by assisting them and encouraging their progress."

Barnes Steps Up Crucial Moments

However, transformation was undoubtedly required.

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

New signing Nick Woltemade had seemed detached, with minimal attacking supply, particularly away from home.

Although Woltemade was away with Germany during the international break, Newcastle worked on different movements of players around the forward such as Barnes and Jacob Murphy, to maximize his effectiveness upon return.

Newcastle certainly created opportunities for Woltemade on Saturday, who was denied on three occasions by Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

However, while Newcastle previously relied too heavily on Woltemade, additional squad members have started making important contributions.

Notably Barnes.

The forward was responsible for several significant misses in the first half - even failing to hit the target with an open goal - and admitted he was not "the most popular man" at halftime.

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.

But they didn't collapse when Manchester City equalized or, indeed, after eight minutes of stoppage time were added.

This performance saw Newcastle dominate physical battles, winning more challenges and defensive actions.

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.

The defensive display caught the attention of ex-Newcastle player Jonathan Woodgate.

"Defensively they were outstanding, making it extremely challenging for City to exploit gaps in midfield," he stated in his broadcast analysis. "Second half I considered them the superior team, consistently catching City on counter-attacks and ultimately scoring two magnificent goals by Barnes. What an enthralling contest."

St James' Stronghold

Yet should this result under the lights at St James' necessarily come as a massive surprise?

Only Manchester City (13) have won more Premier League home games than Howe's team (11) in 2025.

From the start of the previous campaign, Newcastle have recorded eight victories, two draws and only two defeats at home against top opponents including City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, United and Spurs.

Yet in away matches, Newcastle have failed to win a Premier League game since April.

This explains why the team were just a single point above the relegation zone before Saturday's significant victory.

"While I'd like to assert that supporters shouldn't affect player performance, it completely changes dynamics," Howe admitted. "We need to identify methods to generate momentum in away matches without fan assistance.

"This problem requires our solution, whether through formation tweaks, selection alterations. Whatever the solution, we must work diligently to find answers."