Newcastle United have only ever won one game against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
The Magpies travel to Manchester City on Saturday, as they go in search of a rare victory at the Etihad. They have lost 18 times there, drawn twice and won once. However, Paul Merson thinks Newcastle will beat Man City this weekend, despite their rotten record.
Their only win was in September 2014 in the League Cup. Alan Pardew massively rotated his Newcastle United starting XI, but was able to record a famous victory.
His team won 2-0 to knock Manchester City out of the League Cup, and it remains the only time that Newcastle United have been victorious at the Etihad Stadium.
Moussa Sissoko put the game beyond doubt in the 75th minute, but it was Rolando Aarons who got Toon fans dreaming of a famous victory by opening the scoring in the sixth minute.
Newcastle United had ‘high hopes’ for Rolando Aarons
At the time, Aarons was a Newcastle United wonderkid. He was an incredibly exciting winger who looked destined to have a bright future in black and white.
His skill and trickery endeared him to supporters, and it was incredible to see him score such an important goal at the age of 18-years-old.
Earlier that year, Toon legend Peter Beardsley had told the Daily Mail that the club had high hopes for Aarons.
“We’ve got high hopes for in the first team,” he said.
“He’s probably the main one. We expect him to do good things.”
What Rolando Aarons is doing now
Fast forward to the beginning of 2025 and Aarons is without a club.
He became a free agent in January, with the 29-year-old mutually agreeing to part ways with Slovenian side NK Celje.
Aarons helped NK Celje win the Slovenian First Division last year, but has now parted ways with the club.
It is the end of the latest chapter of what has proven to be a strange career. He massively struggled with injuries during his time with Newcastle United, which contributed towards him not becoming a regular fixture in the Toon first-team.
Aarons had multiple loan spells away from St James’ Park, enjoying temporary stints at Hellas Verona, Slovan Liberec, Sheffield Wednesday and Motherwell. He then joined Huddersfield Town permanently in 2021, bringing an end to his Newcastle United career.
Now Aarons awaits his next move, while he remains one of just two players to score in a Newcastle United win against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
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