Manchester City open Premier League title defence with strong 2-0 away win over Newcastle

MANCHESTER City started their EPL season with a win over Newcastle, exactly as they did 12 months ago when their campaign ended with glory.

NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - AUGUST 17: Sergio Aguero of Manchester City celebrates after scoring his team's second goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Newcastle United and Manchester City at St James' Park on August 17, 2014 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Jamie McDonald/Getty Images)

MANCHESTER City started their Premier League season with victory over Newcastle United, exactly as they did 12 months ago when their campaign ended with a championship party.

This latest 2-0 win, achieved through goals from David Silva and Sergio Aguero, was not as convincing as last year’s 4-0 success at the Etihad Stadium, but it provided evidence that this season could have the same triumphant outcome.

Manuel Pellegrini’s side were typically well-organised and hard-working, against a Newcastle team given an injection of optimism by a close-season of hectic transfer activity overseen by their manager Alan Pardew.

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It’s all smiles among the City player’s after David Silva’s opener.

And while they did not create many chances, City always had a greater cutting edge than Newcastle, even if the hosts threatened to cause an upset in the closing stages.

Pellegrini was delighted and picked out the attitude of his players as a key factor in their success.

“It was important to start with a win,” he said.

“I think the players were both hungry and humble. We need both those things if we are going to continue winning titles and if we want to improve on what we did last year.

“It was so important to me that the players had that attitude from the beginning to the end of the game.”

The manager does not believe his players are yet up to full speed, with many of them returning late to training following the World Cup, but he was pleased they held firm and kept a clean sheet.

“We were very solid at the back and Joe Hart didn’t have any problems and in the second half it was normal that we were starting to get tired,” he said.

“The players are not able to play 90 minutes at the moment but we continued with our attitude and scored the second goal.”

City went ahead in the 38th minute at St James’ Park, although the pattern of the game had been set long before then.

Newcastle saw lots of possession and were as lively and determined as one would expect in the first game of the season in front of their own crowd.

But they made errors with the ball that City looked to exploit, such as when Stevan Jovetic lofted a pass through to Edin Dzeko in the third minute, obliging Tim Krul to make a smart save.

The Dutch goalkeeper was involved again after 11 minutes when he dived full-stretch to turn away a long-range effort by Samir Nasri.

David Silva got City off to a great start.

Newcastle’s first effort came in the 16th minute through Remy Cabella, who showed some neat touches on his debut following his move from Montpellier and demonstrated his quick thinking with a lob that drifted over the bar.

Cabella also featured in a promising Newcastle break in the 31st minute when his incisive pass created an opening for Emmanuel Riviere, who sliced his hurried shot well wide.

Cabella’s performance suggested that he could become a firm Newcastle favourite, but City’s opener seven minutes before the interval betrayed the hosts’ weaknesses at the other end of the pitch.

Mike Williamson and Fabricio Coloccini both steamed across after Yaya Toure found Dzeko with a lofted pass, but neither player could prevent the innovative back-heel with which the Bosnian picked out the arriving Silva.

The pint-sized Spaniard did the rest, taking a touch to steady himself before steering an angled shot inside Krul’s left-hand upright.

The impressive Sergio Aguero and David Silva.

It was a similar story in the second half. Newcastle looked lively in midfield, but new striker Riviere was too often left isolated.

Jovetic twice went close for City and Dzeko directed a header just over the bar as the frailty of the Newcastle defence was again exposed.

Newcastle, who started with four new signings, almost equalised in the 84th minute through another new face, Ayoze Perez, who had been on the pitch only 20 seconds when his shot was deflected wide by Fernando.

Moussa Sissoko should also have done better when he fired over from the edge of the area just a minute before City broke again to add a second goal, steered in by substitute Aguero after his initial shot had rebounded off Krul.

Originally published as Manchester City open Premier League title defence with strong 2-0 away win over Newcastle