Just bloody awful...
Manchester City 5-0 Newcastle United
An absolute embarrassment tonight at the Etihad Stadium with Manchester City not even breaking sweat to utterly destroy hapless Newcastle.
First half goals from Jesus and Mahrez set City off to a flyer inside 20 minutes. And despite totally dominating the game had to wait until the second half to add the their tally with an own goal from Fernandez and strikes form Silva and Sterling.
After the humbling experienced at the hands of Manchester City in the FA cup ten days ago, tonight gave Bruce’s men the chance to go into what should be an almost ‘can’t lose’ game.
And yet…
This still felt like an absolute slap in the face!
Expectations of a comfortable victory against a City side, who’d were looking to set the record straight after losing to Southampton, understandable and realised.
For Newcastle it was all change in starting eleven. Indeed, if you class Lazaro and Ritchie as occasional wing / full backs then you could argue Bruce started with 5 in his team. There would be rests for Hayden, Lascelles, Almiron and notably Saint-Maximin, with only Almiron even making the bench.
STARTING XI: Dubravka, Yedlin, Fernandez, Schar, Krafth (Atsu, 84), Rose, Ritchie (Muto, 84), Bentaleb, Shelvey (M Longstaff, 67), Lazaro (Manquillo, 66), Joelinton (Gayle, 66)
It didn’t take long for the Citizens to break the deadlock. Silva being played in down the left and squaring to Jesus, totally unmarked and the only City player in the box, to side foot home with ease. Pathetic, or rather non existent, marking from the Magpies.
Give it another 10 minutes and it was 2. Newcastle masters of their own downfall and giving the ball away. Foden slipping in De Bruyne who had plenty of time to cut back to Mahrez who did the rest.
If the first half of the FA Cup tie was bad, this was a whole new level.
There was the odd foray up the other end for Newcastle United. But in all honesty nothing really of note.
Into the second half and City didn’t even have to get out of 1st gear. In fact, just let Newcastle do the work for you.
Goal number three being set up by Ritchie and the deftest of touches, unknowingly, from Fernandez would guide the ball home. Past Dubravka. For another goal for Manchester City.
Just after the hour and it was 4-0.
This time a foul on the edge of his own box by Joelinton allowed sub David Silva to just stroll up and knock a training park free kick over the wall and into Dubravka’s top right corner.
A raft of substitutions in the second half for Newcastle United did nothing to stem the tide.
Just to sound thing off. Another mistake at the back allowed a three on one, with Silva slotting a through ball into another sub Sterling who made it 5.
A total embarrassment.
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