TRIPPIER APOLOGY FOR HACK

KIERAN TRIPPIER has insisted he did not intend to hurt Kevin De Bruyne when cynically fouling the Manchester City playmaker. The Newcastle defender took out the Belgian on halfway with a sliding, knee-high challenge. Referee Jarred Gillett immediately produced a red card, only for his decision to be reversed following a VAR review. De Bruyne was furious and confronted Trippier following the foul and again at full time. The England star said: ‘I’d sacrifice everything for my team, but I wouldn’t injure anybody. I apologised, but I want to win. I wouldn’t hurt another player.’

The game was level at 3-3 with 16 minutes to play when the incident occurred, and Newcastle boss Eddie Howe said: ‘It was a huge moment in the game. If we go to 10 men, we’re looking at a different outcome. ‘I thought Kieran left the ground with his feet in the air but, on contact, was low. I don’t think it was dangerous. That is what saved him.’

City boss Pep Guardiola said it was ‘probably’ a sending-off but did not contest Gillett’s decision to overturn the dismissal.

He was more concerned with his team’s inability to handle Newcastle winger Allan SaintMaximin, who had a hand in all three goals. ‘Newcastle have everything, pace and quality,’ he said. ‘This is a difficult place to come. If you finish the attack it’s no problem, but if you don’t finish, you don’t arrive to control Saint-Maximin.’

City trailed 3-1 with half an hour to play but Guardiola said he was not worried, as he added: ‘After what happened against Aston Villa (on the final day of last season) when we scored three goals in five minutes, I can rely on anything.’

Howe, meanwhile, hailed the impact of man-of-the-match Saint-Maximin.

‘It was his best performance since I’ve been managing him,’ he said. ‘He got every aspect of his game in a very good place. His pace was there, you could see he was electric.’