The reigning champions received a welcome boost prior to kick-off at the Etihad Stadium as Chelsea gave up a lead to draw 1-1 at home to lowly Burnley.
Vurnon Anita soon provided a further lift to City, clumsily conceding a penalty inside 30 seconds to hand Sergio Aguero the chance to open the scoring from the spot, and Newcastle's defensive shortcomings were ruthlessly exposed thereafter, as Manuel Pellegrini's men - with the influential Yaya Toure back in their ranks - ran riot.
Samir Nasri and Edin Dzeko added further goals in the opening quarter of the game, while David Silva scored twice in quick succession to make it 5-0 after just 53 minutes.
That gave Pellegrini the luxury of handing Aguero and Silva an early rest ahead of Tuesday's Champions League tie with Barcelona, with Wilfried Bony introduced off the bench for his debut.
The hosts coasted through the remainder of the contest, against a side beaten 4-0 on their previous two league visits to the Etihad, and they now sit five points behind Chelsea with 12 rounds of matches remaining.
Silva and Aguero were duly withdrawn and Bony was only denied a debut goal by Krul's outstretched left leg as City eased through the closing stages, completing the ideal preparation for Barca's visit on Tuesday when a sterner test will surely await.
No comments:
Post a Comment