Antoine Semenyo scored his second goal in as many games for his new club as Manchester City secured a precious Carabao Cup semi-final advantage over holders Newcastle.
The £62.5million winger, who was eligible despite having already played for Bournemouth in the competition this season after a rule change, struck eight minutes after half-time before substitute Rayan Cherki added a brilliant second at the death to ensure the eight-times winners will defend a 2-0 lead when the sides reconvene at the Etihad Stadium on February 4 for the second leg.
City might have travelled back across the Pennines with one foot firmly in the final had Semenyo not seen a second goal controversially chalked off following a review on a night when the Magpies were neither clinical nor stubborn enough to claim the foothold they needed for the return.
Both managers demonstrated the depth of their squads despite injuries, Eddie Howe making seven changes to the side which edged past Bournemouth in the FA Cup third round on Saturday and Pep Guardiola five after a 10-1 demolition of Exeter the same day.
Newcastle should have been ahead inside five minutes when Anthony Gordon picked out Jacob Murphy on the right with a fine ball and he crossed early for Yoane Wissa, who controlled before slicing a left-foot shot wastefully over James Trafford's crossbar.
City's response was concerted as wide men Jeremy Doku and Semenyo pinned the Magpies back deep inside their own half, and Nick Pope needed to get a touch on Bernardo Silva's eighth-minute cross to flick it out of the path of the waiting Erling Haaland.
Joelinton flicked a header wide from a 15th-minute Gordon cross after a rare Newcastle attack and with the Brazil international taking no prisoners in midfield, the hosts began to establish themselves.
Joelinton and Nico O'Reilly were both booked after an off-the-ball altercation and full-back Matheus Nunes after a crude challenge on Gordon as the game descended into something of an arm wrestle.
But for all the bluster and endeavour, an entertaining first half ended goalless and with neither keeper having made a save of note.
Trafford, though, was at full stretch to claw away Wissa's looping 50th-minute header and was relieved to see Bruno Guimaraes' follow-up crash against the post as the Magpies threatened after the restart.
However, it was the visitors who took the lead three minutes later when Silva touched Doku's cross into the path of Semenyo, who stabbed home from close range.
Trafford claimed Guimaraes' skidding 58th-minute strike and Sven Botman headed against the keeper from a Lewis Hall corner as Newcastle rallied, but they looked to have been undone once again with 63 minutes gone when Semenyo flicked substitute Tijjani Reijnders' corner past Pope - only for the goal to be ruled out for offside against Haaland after a lengthy VAR review.
Sandro Tonali drilled a 71st-minute shot wide as the Magpies attempted to take advantage of their escape but Cherki, who had twice been denied by Pope, finally got his reward in the ninth minute of stoppage time when he exchanged passes with fellow substitute Rayan Ait-Nouri before slotting past the keeper.
© The Standard Ltd