ACCORDING to the popular television show, dedication is what you need if you want to be a record breaker. As Roy Castle never quite got round to mentioning, however, it also helps if you don't have to play an away game at Manchester City.

Presented with an opportunity to establish a new club record for remaining unbeaten in the opening 12 games of a league season, Newcastle fell at the final hurdle. What a hurdle it was though.

A Manchester City side that look more like the Premier League's champions elect with every passing week ultimately ran out comfortable winners as they extended their own unbeaten start and made it six wins out of six at the Etihad Stadium.

Newcastle were the architects of their own downfall, conceding a penalty in either half and presenting City's second goal on a plate to Micah Richards, and while Alan Pardew's side created chances of their own, most notably when Hatem Ben Arfa struck the upright with the score at 2-0, they could hardly quibble about the final outcome.

Yet for all that there is obvious disappointment about the end of an unbeaten sequence that was as unexpected as it was uplifting, a sense of perspective is required.

Newcastle were never embarrassed in the way that both Manchester United and Tottenham have been at the hands of City this season, and the spirit and organisation that has characterised much of their play in the opening three months of the campaign was evident again despite the quality of the opposition.

“Twenty-five points after 11 games speaks for itself,” said Pardew, who will now turn his attention to this weekend's equally-daunting trip to Old Trafford. “We're a good side.

“How we're going to evolve and deal with a disappointment like this is still unanswered, but in the dressing room after the game there was genuine disappointment that things didn't fall for us.

“That wasn't made up. There was genuine disappointment that we didn't get something out of the game. It wasn't, 'Oh, we did okay today'. We're really disappointed we haven't got anything and that's a good sign.”

Nevertheless, there will be those who claim it is no coincidence that Newcastle's first league defeat also came in their first match against a team in the top four, and on the first occasion where their squad was really stretched through injury.

There is a kernel of truth in both arguments. This was the Magpies' first real test against the big boys and they failed, and there is no doubt they missed the combative qualities of Cheik Tiote and the attacking prowess of Leon Best.

Yet it would be wrong to use Saturday's events to belittle everything Newcastle have achieved since the opening afternoon. For a start, they weren't just playing any old team in the top four, they were up against a Manchester City side that could yet go on to win the title at a canter.

It is hard to identify any real weaknesses in Roberto Mancini's squad, such is the depth of talent at his disposal and the combination of strengths within whatever starting line-up he chooses to field.

If the artistry of the mesmeric Sergio Aguero or the mercurial Samir Nasri isn't working, why not go for the strength and athleticism of the irrepressible Yaya Toure or the inspired Micah Richards? And that's before you even get to David Silva and Edin Dzeko, who both started on the bench.

“It's almost a minor triumph to keep them within two goals,” said Pardew. “They're the best side we've played by some distance. Throughout the game, questions were being asked of us, real tough questions, so it was a great performance by us simply to be in the game.

“You can be as organised as you like, but it generally comes down to the sheer class of the individuals they have in their team and the ideas and the movement.”

But what about the suggestion that Newcastle will always suffer when key players are removed from their preferred starting line-up? Again, it would be wrong to draw too many conclusions from Saturday.

Yes, their first defeat came when four first-team players were absent. But Ben Arfa performed impressively as he returned to the scene of last season's horrific double leg break, Danny Guthrie continued to perform diligently at the heart of midfield and Sammy Ameobi was hardly overawed as he made his maiden Premier League start. And despite the absentees, Newcastle were still able to name the likes of Davide Santon, Dan Gosling and Shola Ameobi on the bench.

“My squad is definitely deeper than last year, without a shadow of a doubt,” said Pardew. “Sammy will have taken great confidence from some of the embarrassing moments he caused (Gael) Clichy and he's a real senior player now.

“We also had the likes of Haris (Vuckic) and Mehdi (Abeid) not even involved in the squad, so we're strong enough to cope with a strong season, which is what we hope to have.”

Indeed, for all that Newcastle were ultimately well beaten, the major frustration to emerge from Saturday was the manner of the goals they conceded. All three were avoidable, as all three stemmed from basic defensive errors.

For the opening 40 minutes, City rarely looked like turning their plentiful possession into goalscoring opportunities. Newcastle's high defensive line was compressing the midfield third, and the visitors might even have claimed the lead had Joe Hart not produced an excellent low save from Demba Ba, or had the Senegal international not failed to find the target with a close-range header from a corner.

However, the game turned in a three-minute spell shortly before the interval, with Ryan Taylor largely responsible for the concession of two quick-fire goals.

He blocked Yaya Toure's goalbound shot with his hand, enabling Mario Balotelli to convert from the spot, and got himself in an almighty tangle while trying to clear Aguero's through ball, presenting Richards with a simple opportunity to score.

Things might have been different had Ben Arfa not dragged his second-half shot against the foot of the post, but the Frenchman produced an error of his own with 19 minutes left, bundling over Richards to present Aguero with an opportunity to extend City's lead from the spot.

The final word belonged to Newcastle, though, with Gosling slotting into an empty net in the 89th minute after Hart had saved from an onrushing Ba.