Eddie Howe explained where Newcastle went wrong: despite taking the lead, they could not beat Manchester City in the FA Cup.
On 8 Mar 2026 GMT+7, Eddie Howe, manager of Newcastle United, admitted his team ran out of energy after an excellent start, eventually losing 1-3 to Manchester City in the FA Cup at St. James' Park, ending their hopes of winning the tournament.
The home side started strongly and took the lead through Harvey Barnes in the 18th minute, but the defending champions responded sharply, equalizing through Savinho and scoring two more goals from Omar Marmouch.
After the match, Howe admitted, “We started very well, especially in the first thirty minutes. But two things happened: we couldn't maintain that energy, and they played very well. We have to accept that.”
The Magpies’ manager also pointed out that Guardiola’s pressing, combined with clear ball possession dominance, drained his players’ energy, with Manchester City controlling 63 percent of possession in this game.
“I felt we ran out of energy, especially in the second half and late in the first half. They are truly a great team. We need to have the ball to apply pressure, but we didn’t have enough possession,” he said.