Five star Man City masterclass piles misery on Magpies

Manchester City sent out an emphatic warning to Premier League title rivals Chelsea, as they cut the Stamford Bridge side’s lead to five points, following an impressive 5-0 dismantling of Newcastle United.

The ramifications of this rout could surely have both long and short-term value for City, who were able to rest key players earlier than expected ahead of the club’s crunch Champions League clash with Barcelona, and can also count themselves firmly back in the title race.

Visitors Newcastle, meanwhile, offered remarkably little resistance, and the scoreline cannot have helped interim coach John Carver’s prospects for keeping his post.

The Magpies immediately began on the wrong foot, conceding a penalty in the first 30 seconds, and never seemed to regain their balance.

Vurnon Anita will certainly not be on Jose Mourinho’s Christmas card list anytime soon, after his inability to control a pass allowed Edin Dzeko to pounce and snatch possession. Anita attempted to make amends, but only succeeded in bringing the Sarajevo-born striker down in the box.

Top scorer Sergio Aguero coolly converted, despite keeper Tim Krul’s best attempts to distract the Argentina attacker, and City fans will be relieved that the 26-year-old seems to have his spark back.

The Sky Blues controlled the game effortlessly after that though, worryingly for Chelsea, never quite reached top gear. Quite simply, Manuel Pellegrini’s men didn’t have to, as the travelling Tyneside team suffered a series of calamities in defence.

Easily and repeatedly beaten both on the ground and in the air, Newcastle’s backline was breached and bypassed at will, with sloppy passing and poor positioning seemingly contagious.

Fullbacks Daryl Janmaat and Massadio Haidara noticeably struggled against Pellegrini’s deployment of a fluid formation, in which Aguero, Dzeko, Samir Nasri and David Silva interchanged excellently.