Scintillating City score five past Newcastle to take control of Premier League title race

MANCHESTER: A five-goal show from scintillating Manchester City ensured Pep Guardiola’s men took total control of the battle to win the Premier League title — and gave Newcastle United and Eddie Howe yet more food for thought.

Raheem Sterling netted the opener and the last goal of the day as one apiece from Aymeric Laporte, Rodri and Phil Foden secured all three points and put the pain of Madrid and City’s Champions League exit behind them.

And while it did not always feel like a hammering for the Magpies, a late defensive collapse, after relentless home pressure, proved just how many levels the Abu Dhabi-funded side remain above the affluent but static Saudi-backed Magpies.  

Howe made three changes to the Newcastle side who struggled to lay a glove on Liverpool last week.

Club captain Jamaal Lascelles, Sean Longstaff and Chris Wood were all restored to the XI, with Fabian Schar dropped to the bench after a knock and Jonjo Shelvey and Joe Willock absent from the squad altogether.

United looked anything but overawed in the early stages as they matched the home side’s intensity. Moving the ball well, finding the likes of Allan Saint-Maximin in pockets of space and working the flanks, the Magpies looked a threat.

However, against a side of City’s quality, it only takes a second for the game to flip on its head.

And it did on 19 minutes as Saint-Maximin, on for his attacking prowess, failed to track a deep run from Joao Cancelo, and his header back was perfectly guided on to the head of Sterling.

Wood, back after a two game absence, then had a moment to forget as Newcastle looked to restore parity.

A jinking move from Saint-Maximin on the right saw the Frenchman dig out a searching cross and Wood, free in the