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Howe had tried numerous approaches.

Newcastle's manager had experimented with high-pressing tactics against City. He fielded others who adopted deeper defensive positions. Different systems were tested, but none yielded victory.

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

However, he uncovered an effective approach.

When Newcastle desperately needed a positive result, following a difficult loss at Brentford before the international break, Howe and his team devised a tactical plan to secure their first victory against Manchester City.

The strategy paid dividends with a 2-1 win in front of a passionate home crowd as Howe secured his first top-flight victory against Pep Guardiola's team at his 17th attempt.

"My records show numerous failed strategies against City, making clear what doesn't work," Howe revealed. "The list of effective methods is brief, but we continuously learn and refine our approach. That's what we did."

'I don't believe in radical overhauls'

Planning commenced in the aftermath of their Brentford setback.

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

With a smaller squad during the international period, the team worked on restoring "their vitality and movement".

Several notable adjustments were implemented for Manchester City's visit.

Skipper Bruno Guimaraes took up a central midfield position, replacing Sandro Tonali who had occupied that spot, 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.

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

"I don't agree with completely overhauling systems," 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 possess strong insight into our top talent and strive to create optimal conditions for their development through guidance and development opportunities."

Barnes Rises to the Occasion

However, transformation was undoubtedly required.

Only struggling Wolves and Leeds United had scored fewer goals than Newcastle in the top flight before this match.

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 featuring Barnes and Jacob Murphy, to optimize his contribution after his international commitment.

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

However, while Newcastle previously relied too heavily on Woltemade, additional squad members have started making important contributions.

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.

The match featured Newcastle outperforming City in defensive statistics, including tackles, headers and blocks.

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.

The defensive display caught the attention of ex-Newcastle player Jonathan Woodgate.

"Without the ball they were magnificent, complicating City's efforts to penetrate defensive lines," he told BBC Radio 5 Live. "In the second period I judged them the dominant team, frequently exposing City in transition and finishing with two excellent Barnes strikes. What a spectacular game."

St James' Stronghold

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.

Since the beginning of last season, Newcastle have won eight, drawn two and lost just two of their home fixtures against Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham across all competitions.

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

This clarifies why they sat merely one point above the drop zone before Saturday's crucial result.

"As much as I'd prefer to claim the crowd shouldn't influence on-field performance, it transforms everything," 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."