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Howe had tried numerous approaches.

The Newcastle United head coach previously deployed sides who pressed Manchester City aggressively. He tried alternative approaches with teams that dropped deeper. Various tactical setups were attempted, none proving successful.

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

Yet he found an answer.

When Newcastle desperately needed a positive result, following a difficult loss at Brentford before the international break, The Newcastle management created a blueprint to finally defeat Guardiola's team.

The strategy paid dividends with a 2-1 win in front of a passionate home crowd marking Howe's initial Premier League success against Guardiola's side after 16 previous failures.

"I have extensive documentation of unsuccessful approaches against them, so I know what to avoid," Howe stated. "Telling you what does is a very small piece of paper, but you just try and learn from experience and just tweak something the next time. That was our methodology."

'Gradual improvements preferred'

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

Howe spent numerous hours examining game film, assessing training and searching for fixes to their up-and-down form.

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

Important modifications were made specifically for the City match.

Skipper Bruno Guimaraes took up a central midfield position, replacing Sandro Tonali who had occupied that spot, with returning defenders Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento making their first joint start since autumn and creating a significant difference.

Defender Fabian Schar earned his first league start since autumn, coming in for Sven Botman.

However, rather than implementing radical changes, Howe maintained his preferred 4-3-3 system and two of the three modifications to his starting lineup were essentially forced after Kieran Trippier and Anthony Gordon missed out through injury.

The majority of players who featured at Brentford and, indeed, in the damaging defeat at West Ham, were given opportunities to redeem themselves.

"I'm against making wholesale changes," Howe declared. "Unless you're in absolute panic mode, which we're not, and I don't believe in that style of leadership anyway.

"I'm confident in identifying our best performers and aim to give them maximum chances to showcase their abilities through guidance and development opportunities."

Barnes Rises to the Occasion

However, transformation was undoubtedly required.

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

Record signing Nick Woltemade had appeared isolated, with limited service, particularly in away matches.

While Woltemade was on international duty with Germany, Newcastle practiced varied attacking patterns around their striker including Barnes and Jacob Murphy, to enhance his performance when he rejoined the team.

The Magpies generated clear chances for Woltemade during the match, with the City keeper making three crucial saves.

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

Particularly Barnes.

The forward was responsible for several significant misses in the first half - even failing to hit the target with an open goal - and admitted he was not "the most popular man" at halftime.

Yet Barnes didn't just score the opener with a quality finish from range in the second period, he netted the decider shortly after City drew level via Ruben Dias.

The Magpies had held advantages against Arsenal, Brentford and West Ham but ended up defeated.

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.

Although Manchester City controlled possession, which naturally affects the statistics, Newcastle stood firm and made nearly twice as many clearances (36) and restricted the visitors to just four shots on target.

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

"Defensively they were outstanding, making it extremely challenging for City to exploit gaps in midfield," 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?

Just Manchester City (13) have secured more home Premier League victories than Newcastle (11) this year.

From the start of the previous campaign, Newcastle have recorded eight victories, two draws and only two defeats at home against top opponents including City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, United and Spurs.

Yet in away matches, Newcastle have failed to win a Premier League game since April.

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 conceded. "We need to identify methods to generate momentum in away matches without fan assistance.

"This is our challenge to address, whether via tactical modifications, roster decisions. Whatever proves necessary, we must dedicate ourselves to identifying solutions."