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The Newcastle manager had tested various strategies.

Previously, Howe had sent out teams that applied intense pressure against Manchester City. He tried alternative approaches with teams that dropped deeper. Different systems were tested, but none yielded victory.

Howe was barely exaggerating when he said "we've tried everything" ahead of the weekend fixture.

But he discovered a solution.

Following a bruising loss at Brentford, the Magpies urgently needed to bounce back, Howe and his team devised a tactical plan to secure their first victory against Manchester City.

And their planning proved successful following a 2-1 victory at an electric St James' Park marking Howe's initial Premier League success against Guardiola's side after 16 previous failures.

"I've got lists and lists of things that haven't worked against them so I could probably tell you what doesn't," Howe stated. "The list of effective methods is brief, but we continuously learn and refine our approach. This was our process."

'I don't believe in radical overhauls'

The foundation was established in the days following Newcastle's 3-1 defeat at Brentford this month.

The manager invested extensive time studying video, evaluating practice sessions and looking for answers to their irregular season.

Despite having fewer players available, Newcastle concentrated on regaining "their dynamism and physicality" during the break.

Some significant tactical changes were introduced against Manchester City.

Captain Bruno Guimaraes was assigned a central role in the midfield three, where Sandro Tonali had been positioned for most of the past year, while returning full-backs Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento started together for the first time since September and made a substantial impact.

Fabian Schar also made his first top-flight start in two months, replacing centre-back Sven Botman.

Despite the changes, Howe avoided dramatic overhauls and preserved his trusted 4-3-3 setup with two of the three lineup changes being necessitated by injuries to Kieran Trippier and Anthony Gordon.

Most of the squad members who played at Brentford and during the disappointing West Ham loss received chances to make amends.

"I don't agree with completely overhauling systems," Howe declared. "Unless the situation becomes desperate, which it hasn't, and that's not my managerial philosophy.

"I possess strong insight into our top talent and strive to create optimal conditions for their development by supporting them and facilitating their growth."

Barnes Delivers When It Matters

Something clearly needed to change, however.

Only the struggling offenses of Wolves and Leeds had produced fewer goals than Newcastle this season.

New signing Nick Woltemade had seemed detached, with minimal attacking supply, particularly away from home.

Despite Woltemade's absence with the German national team, the squad developed new supporting movements for their forward such as Barnes and Jacob Murphy, to maximize his effectiveness upon return.

Newcastle manufactured several scoring opportunities for Woltemade, but the City goalkeeper produced three important stops.

Although Newcastle had become too Woltemade-focused, other attackers have emerged as reliable options.

Particularly Barnes.

The attacker squandered important chances in the opening period - including missing an empty net - and confessed he wasn't "the fan favorite" during the break.

But not only did Barnes open the scoring with an excellent effort from the edge of the area in the second half, he delivered the winner just minutes after Manchester City equalized through Ruben Dias.

Newcastle had been ahead versus Arsenal, Brentford and West Ham but surrendered their leads.

However, they maintained composure when City drew level and during eight additional minutes.

This performance saw Newcastle dominate physical battles, winning more challenges and defensive actions.

While City dominated the ball, inevitably skewing the numbers, Newcastle defended resolutely with 36 clearances and limited City to only four accurate shots.

This defensive effort was praised by former Magpies defender Jonathan Woodgate.

"Out of possession they were exceptional and created significant difficulties when City attempted to find spaces between the lines," he told BBC Radio 5 Live. "After halftime I viewed them as the better side, repeatedly threatening City on breaks and netting two superb Barnes goals. What a spectacular game."

Home Dominance Continues

Yet should this result under the lights at St James' necessarily come as a massive surprise?

Only City (13) have collected more home league wins than Newcastle (11) in the current season.

Beginning last season, the Magpies have achieved eight wins, two draws and merely two losses at St James' Park versus elite Premier League opposition.

Nonetheless, on their travels, Newcastle haven't secured a league victory since spring.

This explains why the team were just a single point above the relegation zone before Saturday's significant victory.

"While I'd like to assert that supporters shouldn't affect player performance, it completely changes dynamics," Howe admitted. "We need to identify methods to generate momentum in away matches without fan assistance.

"This problem requires our solution, whether through formation tweaks, selection alterations. Whatever the solution, we must work diligently to find answers."