Alvarez strike gives Man City victory over Newcastle
A superb strike from midfielder Julian Alvarez gave Manchester City a 1-0 win over Newcastle United in their first home game of the new Premier League season, capping off an evening of celebration of last season's treble at the Etihad Stadium. After an opening half-hour in which the home side dominated possession, Alvarez broke the deadlock in the 31st minute when Phil Foden picked him out on the edge of the box, and he whipped a powerful shot across Nick Pope and into the net. Newcastle upped the tempo in the second half but it was City who had the better chances, though striker Erling Haaland seemed out of sorts as he failed to score despite a number of opportunities created for him by Phil Foden. The visitors finally managed to start exerting some pressure in the last 15 minutes, but despite some better attacking play they still struggled to create shots on goal as City held on for back to back league wins to start their season. (Reuters)