This felt big. Manchester City only took three points from their fixture with Newcastle, but given the circumstances it felt more than that.
Eddie Howe's side arrived with their best chance in years of winning at the Etihad for the first time, and left as pointless as any previous side.
Pep Guardiola had been clear in advance just how much he wasn't looking forward to this game - a Saturday evening squeezed into the schedule after Thursday's flight back from Athens with all the grace of a pig in lipstick.
The timing was bad enough, but having to play one of the best sides in the league made it even grimmer. City's squad has continued to thin since beating Sevilla as well.
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