FRUSTRATED Eddie Howe was disappointed his Newcastle United side didn't reach the levels he knows they can in the narrow defeat at Manchester City.

Howe felt his side were "slightly off", particularly in the forward third, with the Magpies only managing one shot on target at the Etihad and failing to take advantage of some promising positions.

Julian Alvarez scored the only goal of a tight Premier League encounter at the Etihad Stadium in which the treble winners impressively stifled any threat from the visitors.

Howe said: “I think on tonight’s evidence there is stuff to improve. We’re a little bit disappointed overall because we know we can be better, but you have to be at your very best to get something here.

“I thought there were some good bits. We had moments we could hurt them but didn’t have our quality. The second half was much better.

“I was frustrated we didn’t create more. The last pass was missing and we had a couple of shots from range but nothing glaring and that’s the frustration. Collectively we were slightly off."

Lewis Hall watched on from the stands at the Etihad ahead of finalising his switch from Chelsea. The teenager had a medical on Friday. Tino Livramento, meanwhile, made his debut after replacing Miguel Almiron in the late stages.

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City boss Pep Guardiola was thrilled with his side's display, which came just three days after their draining Super Cup outing against Sevilla in Athens,

He said: “This is the second game of the season but it is proof, the reason why we won a lot. The mindset and mentality of this group of players amazes me every time, surprises me every time.

“Against that team and the conditions we arrived, with a lot of injuries and no rest – they played really well. How they defended and how they ran and the commitment of everyone was absolutely amazing.

“We played really good, we deserved to win. We could have scored more goals.

“The difference of the winning teams is the mentality. This group of players, for many years, they have done it and today again.

“I know we are not in the best condition and have five or six important players out but it is what it is. This is the challenge. The Premier League decided to play today. OK, we accept the challenge.”