City have lost ground in the title race – and many of their fans are pointing the blame at two players who were ‘awful

The night at St James’ Park was supposed to be the beginning of Manchester City’s great comeback in the Premier League title race, but everything collapsed like a house built on sand. Manchester City came to Newcastle with anger, determination and the dream of catching Arsenal on the league table, but they left with pain, frustration and fingers pointing at two players nobody thought would ever betray them — Erling Haaland and Phil Foden. The same players who usually bring joy, the same players who normally destroy defences, were the ones who left their fans heartbroken and defeated. And the whole football world is talking about it.

For many years, Manchester City walked into Premier League stadiums like kings. They were the team everybody feared. Pep Guardiola stood like a general on the touchline as his team crushed every opponent in their path. But this season feels different. City look like a wounded lion — still dangerous, still powerful, but bleeding. And Newcastle United took full advantage of that weakness in a match that will be remembered for all the wrong reasons if you are wearing sky blue.

The first half didn’t bring goals, bt it brought drama. Nico O’Reilly lost the ball cheaply, and just like that Newcastle smelled blood. Bruno Guimaraes and Harvey Barnes combined beautifully, and Barnes fired a low, sharp strike across Donnarumma into the bottom corner to make it 1–0. The stadium exploded into wild celebration. It felt like an earthquake. Manchester City players looked shocked, almost confused at how easily they were punished.

But champions don’t stay silent for long. Just a few minutes later, Bernardo Silva whipped in a dangerous corner, Newcastle failed to clear the ball, and Ruben Dias squeezed his shot through Fabian Schar’s legs to equalise. For a moment the City fans believed again. They screamed. They sang. They expected the comeback. Guardiola shouted and pumped his fists. He thought the match had turned around.

But Newcastle and Harvey Barnes were not finished. On 70 minutes, Barnes was there again. The ball hit the crossbar, bounced awkwardly, and he touched it over the line. The stadium erupted. VAR checked it for a long time, and City players waited, praying for the offside lines to save them. But no offside lines appeared and the goal was allowed. It was like a knife straight into City’s heart. The scoreboard showed Newcastle 2, Manchester City 1, and there was no way back.

But the real story of this match was not only the scoreline. It was about two players who failed when their team needed them the most. Two players who normally carry Manchester City on their backs. Two players the fans trust with their whole hearts. Phil Foden and Erling Haaland did not just play badly — they cost Manchester City the match.

Phil Foden, the golden boy raised by the club, the prince of the Etihad, was unrecognisable. He kept getting into dangerous positions only to make the wrong decision. Instead of thinking clearly, he rushed everything. At one point he shot from distance horribly wide when Haaland and Doku were waiting inside the box, unmarked and begging for the ball. It wasn’t just a mistake. It felt like disrespect to the team. Guardiola could not believe what he saw and finally substituted him in the 87th minute, but the damage was already done.

And then there was Erling Haaland. The machine. The monster. The goal-scoring king. The striker who normally needs only one chance to destroy a team. But at St James’ Park, Haaland became a stranger to his own ability. He missed a chance just two minutes into the match when he stabbed wide after Nick Pope rushed out. The away fans gasped. They could not understand. Haaland always scores those.

Later in the second half, Doku gave him a perfect cutback — the kind of pass Haaland loves, the pass that normally ends with fans screaming GOAL. But instead of blasting the net, Haaland shot directly at Nick Pope. It was weak. It was poor. It was not Haaland. The stadium laughed, and the City supporters put their hands on their heads in disbelief. And it didn’t stop there. Haaland wasted three big chances in total, and his two shots on target didn’t trouble the goalkeeper. He looked broken, frustrated and lost.

The statistics say everything. According to Sofascore, Haaland had three big chances and wasted all of them. Foden was constantly losing decision after decision. The match wasn’t lost because Newcastle were better. The match wasn’t lost because City didn’t create. It was lost because City’s biggest stars failed to finish.

After the final whistle, the internet exploded. Fans did not hide their disappointment. One supporter said: “Foden looked well off it today. Haaland wasteful and not been in the game second half.” Another fan wrote with anger and pain: “This loss is on Haaland and Foden, if you miss chances you get punished. As simple as that.” A third supporter didn’t sugarcoat anything: “Haaland and Foden have had stinkers.” Someone else even went further: “Haaland & Foden, you guys should be ashamed of yourselves.” And another comment hit like thunder: “Foden and Haaland have cost us the game. I can’t believe it.”

These are the same players City fans love. The same players whose names are printed on shirts. The same players who are normally unstoppable. And that is what makes this pain so deep. Because when strangers fail you, it doesn’t hurt. But when someone you trust breaks your heart, the pain is ten times stronger.

Manchester City now sit four points behind Arsenal, who still have a match in hand. The title race is not over, but Manchester City are not in control anymore. They are chasing, and the pressure is real. City supporters are beginning to worry. Not because the team is bad, but because something looks wrong. The chemistry. The confidence. The rhythm. Everything feels weaker than before.

But football is unpredictable. Sometimes the heroes of yesterday become the villains of today. And sometimes the villains of today return next weekend and become saviours again. Guardiola knows this better than anyone. He will not destroy Haaland and Foden with criticism. He will not panic. But he will demand a response. A strong response. A brutal response. A world-class response.

Manchester City return to action soon. There is no time to cry. No time to feel sorry. The Champions League awaits. The Premier League continues. And Haaland and Foden now have a responsibility — not just to score goals, but to win back the trust of the fans.

They will be judged. Every touch. Every shot. Every pass. They will be watched like hawks. Because when you are a superstar, failure is not allowed for too long. And when you let your club down, the only apology people accept is victory.

Manchester City are wounded, but the story is not finished. The season is long and football has a way of turning pain into fire, and fire into motivation. St James’ Park may be remembered as the place where everything fell apart — or the place where Manchester City woke up and started fighting like champions again.