Manchester City's title bid takes massive hit with 1st loss of 2019

Struggling Newcastle United showed unexpected resilience and guile Tuesday in coming from behind to hand Manchester City their first defeat of 2019.

Serial Magpies killer Sergio Aguero opened the scoring with the fastest goal of the Premier League season, netting inside 25 seconds to forecast an ominous evening for the St James' Park faithful.

However, Salomon Rondon finished acrobatically from a high ball into the box to level things up midway through the second half before Matt Ritchie sealed a famous 2-1 win from the penalty spot with 10 minutes to play, sparking delirium in the Gallowgate End.

For the Magpies and a fan base long disillusioned with the ownership of the universally unpopular Mike Ashley, it will serve as a vital injection of confidence, along with the reportedly imminent club-record signing of Miguel Almiron.

Geordies won't be the only ones celebrating the result, however. Liverpool fans will be toasting their former manager, Rafa Benitez, as the defeat means the Reds can open up a seven-point gap atop the table by beating Leicester City on Wednesday.

It was the fourth league loss for the defending champions already this season, as they have now dropped more points than they did in the entirety of last campaign. Six of the 16 points they have surrendered this term have been at the hands of former Liverpool managers, a fascinating quirk within this title race.

Guardiola must now rally his troops ahead of a seismic run of games that begins with a home clash against Arsenal on Sunday and also includes tilts with Chelsea in the league and the League Cup final, as well as the Champions League last-16 tie with Schalke.