Wayne Lumbasi
Manchester City put the heartache of Wednesday’s Champions League exit behind them when they put Newcastle United to the sword on Sunday.
They had a comfortable 5-0 victory over Newcastle on Sunday which moved them three points clear in the Premier League title race. A team of City’s character and quality was always likely to recover quickly from their Madrid heartbreak, but this was a near-perfect response from Pep Guardiola’s side.
The game begun in a lively fashion with chances at both ends and with Newcastle’s Chris Wood missing a great chance to take a shock lead. City then attacked continuously until they broke the deadlock with a close-range header from Raheem Sterling after 20 minutes.
A second goal for the Cityzens came from the unlikely source of defender Aymeric Laporte. Following some calamitous goalkeeping from Martin Dubravka after a City corner, Laporte struck home from mere yards out to double the lead.
Rodri wrapped up the points by finishing off Kevin De Bruyne’s corner before substitute Phil Foden grabbed the fourth. Raheem Sterling scored a brace with a well-taken fifth goal for the hosts as Newcastle fell to a heavy defeat at the Etihad Stadium.
The Cityzens are now three points clear at the top with 86 points from 35 matches. Title race challengers Liverpool are on second, with 83 points from 35 matches after their 1-1 draw against Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield on Saturday night.
