Eddie Howe would have been proud of his Newcastle United side as they took home a hard-earned point after their 1-1 draw against Manchester City at St. James’ Park.
Pep Guardiola’s men would have been determined to return to winning ways in the Premier League after their 2-2 draw against Arsenal last Sunday.
However, Manchester City remain winless in three out of their last four games in all competitions — drawing against Inter Milan, the Gunners and Newcastle while beating Watford in the Carabao Cup.
The Premier League champions are yet to lose this campaign.
Goals from Josko Gvardiol and Anthony Gordon meant both sides had to be content with a point apiece.
Ahead of their latest contest, City were sitting at the top of the table.
Howe hails “innovator” at Man City after Newcastle draw
However, the Sky Blues’ draw coupled with Liverpool’s 2-1 win against Wolves has meant that Arne Slot’s side are now sat in first place for the first time during his time at the club.
Newcastle managed to frustrate Manchester City on Saturday.
On the counter-attack, the Magpies were typically dangerous, despite Alexander Isak being unavailable for the clash.
While defensively, the hosts put in a commendable shift and managed to restrict the space in the middle of the park.
Unlike when Kevin De Bruyne and Oscar Bobb saved the visitors’ blushes during their previous trip to the North East, City lacked a hero in their latest outing.
In the aftermath of the game, Eddie Howe was quizzed about his conversation with Pep Guardiola.
Howe hailed the £378,846-a-week man for elevating football as a whole during his post-match press conference via BeanymanSports2.
“I just think Pep’s [Guardiola] really good for the English, British game. I think he’s an innovator, he’s really good at what he does, arguably the best ever we’ve seen here.”
“I think he’s taken the game to another level and that’s why it’s so good for us all to go up against him and try find solutions to problems.”
Classy response from Eddie Howe about Pep Guardiola
Eddie Howe would especially be delighted to earn a draw against Manchester City due to how highly he rates Pep Guardiola.
The Englishman must also have learned several managerial lessons from Guardiola during his time at the Etihad Stadium.
The Catalan tactician is the benchmark for any manager in the Premier League.
Studying how Pep Guardiola approaches every facet of management would only help improve a talented coach like Eddie Howe.
Howe’s admiration and respect for Guardiola is evident in his praise as well as their friendly chat after the game.
