Man City ratings vs Newcastle: Josko Gvardiol looks right at home as Julian Alvarez cracker downs Magpies
A sizzling effort from the Argentina striker proved the difference in a tense and tight match against Eddie Howe's high-flyers
Manchester City still do not truly look themselves and may be missing their star player in Kevin De Bruyne for the rest of the calendar year. But they still still have a squad bursting with talent and today Julian Alvarez reminded everyone of his sheer brilliance by scoring a stonking finish to see off a stubborn Newcastle side.
City had less than three days to prepare for the match after beating Sevilla on penalties to win the UEFA Super Cup in Athens and they looked understandably tired, having returned at 4am on Thursday.
One player who looked fully awake, however, was Josko Gvardiol. The newly acquired defender had a fine full-debut in the Premier League, shutting out a Newcastle side who had scored five times in their previous match against Aston Villa.
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