Manchester City vs. Newcastle: Tactical Review of Capital One Cup Shock Result

In a shock result, Newcastle United defeated Manchester City 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday evening. Rolando Aarons and Moussa Sissoko scored the goals.

Let's take a tactical look at this game and see how it played out.

Formations and XIs

Manchester City set up in their usual 4-4-2 formation, with Stevan Jovetic, Martin Demichelis, Aleksandar Kolarov and Willy Caballero coming in.

Newcastle United made a host of changes, with young prospects sprinkled over the XI in abundance. The exciting Rolando Aarons got the start on the left.

Magpies Setup: Low Block and Counter

Regardless of the timing of the first goal or who it was to, Newcastle's setup was always destined to be the same. Alan Pardew checked the tape and did the only thing a "lesser" club can do against Manchester City: play a low block, pack the middle and utilise pace on the wings to counter-attack.

The pace he found in Gabriel Obertan (right) and Aarons (left); the structure and discipline he found in a deep-set 4-3-3 full of players desperate to lay down their lungs on the pitch.

Fabricio Coloccini led a defensive line who sat on the edge of their own box for most of the game, but as soon as the ball came anywhere close to them, they become aggressive in snuffing out the danger.

Obertan frequently slipped into space behind the roaming Kolarov, and Newcastle launched most of their attacks this way, with his pace in space a serious issue for City's defenders. Aarons was a more defensive option, staying 10 yards ahead of Massadio Haidara most of the time to help him with James Milner, but he posed a threat too.

City Approach

City's method to goal was the same as it always is, though said method took a serious hit when David Silva left the game early due to an injury.

Just as passes from the back (mainly Eliaquim Mangala) into Silva on the half-turn, between the lines, were starting to become a feature and have Mehdi Abeid worried, the Spaniard ducked out and was replaced by Samir Nasri.

Under Manuel Pellegrini, City have been very good at hitting the bylines and utilising the width, and this method can create chaos in opposing boxes. A point-blank save from Robert Elliot and a lucky deflection on a cross from Coloccini that somehow hit the far post had Magpies fans worried the seemingly inevitable breakthrough would come.

City had 65 percent possession on the night, per WhoScored.com, and a serious territorial advantage barring the first five minutes, so you get the impression that if this match had been played 10 times, City would have won eight at a canter.

City made ground on the right via James Milner-Edin Dzeko exchanges and good work in tight areas, but Coloccini and Paul Dummett headed everything clear, and no second balls fell to the hosts bar the one Elliot saved in the first half.

Final Acts

Pardew replaced legs with legs as the evening went on, with Sammy Ameobi, Moussa Sissoko and Emmanuel Riviere all entering the fray to continue the vertical pattern out of defence.

They got more of the ball in the latter stages and held on to it outside City's box more studiously to allow the defence a rest, and Sissoko's moment of magic sealed the result at 2-0.

Pellegrini's move to bring on Jesus Navas—a master of the cross—was a predictable but strong one, but even the Spaniard couldn't force the ball into an area in which Dzeko could sweep it home.

It was a frustrating evening for City, but Newcastle played it about as well as they could.

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