Guardiola revels in Man City´s ´best performance´ at St. James´ Park

Pep Guardiola believes Manchester City delivered their best-ever performance at St. James’ Park during their FA Cup fifth-round win over Newcastle United on Saturday.

Guardiola watched on as his side came from a goal down to win 3-1, with Omar Marmoush’s second-half brace booking the Citizens’ place in the quarter-finals of the competition.

Harvey Barnes’s 18th-minute stunner had given Newcastle a deserved lead, only for Savinho to restore parity six minutes before the break as he turned in Jeremy Doku’s cross.

The turnaround was complete two minutes after the restart when Marmoush finished past Aaron Ramsdale, with the Egyptian doubling his and City’s tally in the 65th minute.

City’s win meant they have now reached the last eight of the FA Cup in nine of their 10 seasons under Guardiola, only failing to do so in 2017-18 when they lost to Wigan Athletic.

But, more impressively, the Citizens have now won four games against an opponent in all competitions in the same season for the fourth time, after 1988-89 (vs Plymouth Argyle), 2013-14 (vs West Ham) and 2022-23 (vs Chelsea), after also dumping Newcastle out of the EFL Cup.

“It was so good. When we tried to make a sequence of passes, we and especially Savinho and Jeremy Doku. They were so decisive,” Guardiola told TNT Sports.

“This was the best performance I have seen from us in this stadium during our time together here. Really, really good.

“We played really, really good. It was important to score in the first minute of the second half.

“After that, until the end, it was really good – the defending and the midfield, in general – everyone. Happy for Omar, a fantastic second goal.

“To beat Newcastle you have to perform very well, especially in the FA Cup.”

The run continues pic.twitter.com/qAPYj8tvqG

— Manchester City (@ManCity) March 7, 2026

Marmoush, meanwhile, staked a claim for a starting spot in Guardiola’s side heading into the business end of the season by scoring against Newcastle once again.

Indeed, he has scored seven goals in five appearances against Newcastle in all competitions, with 50% of his goals for Man City coming against the Magpies (7/14).

And with City still fighting on four fronts in 2025-26, Marmoush is hopeful that his team’s win over Newcastle can be a solid foundation to build on for the rest of the campaign.

“Amazing performance,” Marmoush added.

“We didn’t start so well, and we conceded, but we showed that mentality and passion on the pitch, but we are happy to go to the next round.

“I am very happy to help the team with the goals, and we will keep going. I don’t know what the secret is, but I am happy to help the team again.”