Manchester City thrash Newcastle United 5-0 to put one hand on Premier League trophy

Manchester City have thrashed Newcastle United 5-0 to go three points clear at the top of the Premier League ladder, on the brink of beating Liverpool to the title.

Don’t look back in anger on Madrid. Look forward in expectation to the English title. Manchester City players are far too professional and focused to let their Bernabeu bruising distract them and they clinically tore apart Newcastle United here at the Etihad on Sunday.

More pertinent to their thoughts was Liverpool’s draw with Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday that gifted City this opportunity to move three points clear – an opportunity they took handsomely. With three games remaining, City are three points and four goals clear of Jurgen Klopp’s side. “Liverpool bottle the Quadruple – stick that in your article,” shouted a City fan as he left.

Guardiola told beIN SPORTS afterwards that “everyone in the country supports Liverpool, the media, and everyone”, which will come as a slight surprise to the many followers of Manchester United and Everton for a start. It will also come as a surprise to anyone who visits the media room at the Etihad, which is plastered with eulogising back pages. Headlines range from “Blue Moon Rising” to “Saying you saw City will be as special as the Matthews Final or Arsenal’s Invincibles”. There’s even a Times front page lauding City.

Liverpool have a larger fanbase, and a larger presence of former players in the broadcast media, because they have been prominent for so long. City’s presence in both areas is growing. Micah Richards, for one, is an eloquent backer of City and Guardiola.

Raheem Sterling of Manchester City (R) celebrates scoring his side's fifth goal against Newcastle United at Etihad Stadium. Picture: Alex Livesey/Getty Images

There are concerns within the game over City’s spending but the club can point out that they simply spend the money well. Guardiola’s football is also admired all over, and three England internationals combining for a goal will earn plenty of plaudits. So will the sight of a Mancunian teenager, CJ Egan-Riley, coming on for his Premier League debut, immediately dispossessing Bruno Guimaraes and playing the ball down the line to Raheem Sterling.

The interest in Liverpool doing the Quadruple, which most in the media said was difficult as City were favourites for the title, was greater because it would have been a historic achievement, not because it was Liverpool doing it. When City amassed a remarkable 100 points in winning the 2017-18 title, the reaction was rightly gushing. Such was the interest, City even had “Centurions” memorabilia made. New narratives and records always fascinate.

City always looked the stronger bet for the title. They have Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Ham United away before Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa visit the Etihad on the concluding day. The main concern for Guardiola is that he is without three of his best four defenders, Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias and John Stones, for the rest of the season. When Dias pulled up with a hamstring problem, Fernandinho came on at the break and did well.

Guardiola’s side were always in control and now in total control of the title race. Newcastle are a good side these days, organised well by Eddie Howe, looking far more robust physically and mentally, and with plenty of skill in Guimaraes and Allan Saint-Maximin, but they were swept aside by City.

Aymeric Laporte scores Manchester City's second goal against Newcastle United. Picture: Stu Forster/Getty Images

Kevin De Bruyne ran the show, pulling the strings like a free-roaming puppeteer, popping up on the left, through the middle and occasionally on the right, alarming those in black and white shirts like a lion in a dazzle of zebras. De Bruyne was the dazzling one. At one point, it required five of Howe’s players to close him down.

De Bruyne was voted man of the match but such honours could easily have gone to Sterling, who was so pacy and persistent down the right that Matt Targett inevitably ended up in Stuart Attwell’s notebook.

Sterling is properly appreciated at City but often seems to need to convince people elsewhere. His goal return of 130 in 337 games for City is outstanding, especially for a player who mainly operates on the flanks.

There were also more signs that Jack Grealish is becoming acclimatised to City’s style. He tracked back to help out in defence, assisting Oleksandr Zinchenko and also hurrying across to support Joao Cancelo. Grealish made Sterling’s second, City’s fifth, with a strong run, clever exchange with Phil Foden, and pass. Such is Foden’s vibrancy that it was little surprise to see him return the ball to Grealish with a wonderful backheel.

If there was no hint of hesitancy or hangover in City’s play, the only real reminder of Madrid was Guardiola’s frequent urging of the fans to get behind the players even more.

Pep Guardiola urges on his Manchester City side and the crowd at Etihad Stadium. His team now has a strong lead at the top of the EPL ladder with just three games remaining. Picture: Alex Livesey/Getty Images

Newcastle supporters could generate an atmosphere on the moon and they were loud and loyal throughout. If the scoreline felt painful, there was the encouraging sight of Kieran Trippier and Callum Wilson returning from injury. Trippier had a testing time against Grealish but Wilson’s presence as a mobile forward seemed to enliven Guimaraes and Saint-Maximin.

Newcastle are still a work in progress but building promisingly under Howe. Joelinton is the poster-boy of Howe’s adept coaching and man-management. If they are to continue to evolve, Newcastle will need a more reliable goalkeeper than Martin Dubravka. Scorelines such as this will simply strengthen Howe’s hand when it comes to securing funds for the summer’s transfer market.

From the moment De Bruyne raced away from Longstaff, City set the tone. “Champions League – and you f--ked it up” goaded the Newcastle fans, but City were just thinking about the Premier League, opening the scoring after 19 minutes. Ilkay Gundogan switched play from left to right, and Cancelo was given the freedom of the Etihad by Saint-Maximin at the far post. Cancelo headed back across, the ball clearing Burn and headed in by Sterling.

City doubled their lead seven minutes before the break. De Bruyne angled his corner to the edge of the area, Gundogan met the ball first time, Dubravka failed to hold it and Aymeric Laporte pounced. Newcastle appealed for Gabriel Jesus’s block on Targett, stopping the full back getting at Gundogan, but he was still too far away. Stuart Attwell was not interested and nor was the VAR Jarred Gillett.

Just after the hour, City killed off the game, and put one hand on the Premier League trophy. De Bruyne targeted the near post with his corner. and Rodri escaped Sean Longstaff and exploited Joelinton’s static response to head in.

Two late goals confirmed City’s overwhelming superiority. Grealish and Zinchenko combined and Foden finished well before Sterling capped that fine move. If they continue to play like this, as they have done for much of the season, City will make worthy champions.

Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden (R) struts after scoring his team's fourth goal against Newcastle United. Picture: Paul Ellis/AFP

Manchester City 5 (Sterling 19, 90+3, Laporte 38, Rodri 61, Foden 90)

Newcastle United 0

Manchester City (4-3-3): Ederson 7 – J Cancelo 7, R Dias 7 (Fernandinho 46min, 7), A Laporte 7 (CJ Egan-Riley 87), O Zinchenko 7 – K De Bruyne 9, Rodri 8, I Gundogan 8 – R Sterling 8, G Jesus 7 (P Foden 63, 7), J Grealish 8

Booked: De Bruyne

Newcastle United (4-3-3): M Dubravka 5 – E Krafth 4 (K Trippier 68, 6), J Lascelles 5, D Burn 6, M Targett 5 – B Guimaraes 5, S Longstaff 5, Joelinton 6 – M Almirón 5 (J Murphy 80), C Wood 4 (C Wilson 68, 5), A Saint-Maximin 6

Booked: Guimaraes, Burn, Targett

Referee: S Attwell

Attendance: 53,336

– The Times

Originally published as Manchester City thrash Newcastle United 5-0 to put one hand on Premier League trophy