Manchester City picked up another draw in the Premier League with a 1-1 stalemate against Newcastle United.
Following their 2-2 draw with Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium last weekend, City picked up another point in their third away match of the campaign against Eddie Howe’s side.
The Blues went into the second half 1-0 up only for Anthony Gordon to score a penalty in the second period after the referee deemed Ederson to have brought the winger down in the box.
With the champions heading into this game without Kevin De Bruyne, Nathan Ake, Oscar Bobb and Rodri, who will be out for the rest of the season, through injuries, Pep Guardiola’s side still remain unbeaten in their latest top-flight campaign.
Despite blowing the lead to only come away with a point, one specific City player found himself being praised for his efforts against the Tyneside club.
Ally McCoist names Josko Gvardiol the best player in Man City vs Newcastle
Speaking on TNT Sports’ TV coverage of the clash at St. James’ Park, Ally McCoist said this when asked in the final minutes of the game to name his player of the match.
He said: “I will give it to Josko Gvardiol, who hasn’t had an easy time up against Jacob Murphy, who has played well, but the quality of the goal, I am going to give him for that.”
How did Gvardiol fare against Newcastle?
In his fifth league start for City, Gvardiol scored his first goal of the season in the 35th minute against Newcastle after a nice passage of play involving him and Jack Grealish.
The £200k-a-week defender also made one key pass in the game to show off his usefulness going forward.
However, in terms of his defensive work, the Croatian made two tackles, two interceptions and two clearances in addition to winning seven of the 13 duels he was involved in.
This display ultimately earned Gvardiol a solid match rating of 7.8/10 from SofaScore, making him the second-highest-rated City player on the day.
Taking all of that on board, it’s easy to see why McCoist picked the 22-year-old as the player of the match given how his goal was a key moment of the game.
