As trouble and conflict has disrupted many of the Barclays Premier League’s high profile clubs this summer, Manchester City have managed to keep themselves well under the radar. They cannot hide any longer.
Not after blitzing Newcastle United in this fashion. Not after playing some of the quickest, most fluent and most inventive football of the opening weekend.
If City really are serious about wrestling the title back from neighbours Manchester United, this was not a bad way to start.
High five! Yaya Toure and David Silva were both on the scoresheet as Manchester City cruised past Newcastle
MATCH FACTS
Man City:Â Hart 6, Zabaleta 6, Kompany 7 (Javi Garcia 71, 6), Lescott 7, Clichy 6, Jesus Navas 6, Toure 7, Fernandinho 6, Silva 7 (Negredo 80), Aguero 7 (Nasri 62, 6), Dzeko 8.
Subs Not Used:Â Milner, Kolarov, Rodwell, Pantilimon.
Booked:Â Dzeko, Fernandinho.
Goals:Â Silva 6, Aguero 22, Toure 50, Nasri 75.
Newcastle:Â Krul 8, Debuchy 5, Steven Taylor 4, Coloccini 6, Yanga-Mbiwa 5, Sissoko 6, Tiote 6, Gutierrez 5 (Anita 44, 6), Ben Arfa 5 (Sammy Ameobi 65, 6), Cisse 5, Gouffran 5 (Dummett 45, 6).
Subs Not Used:Â Elliot, Marveaux, Shola Ameobi, Obertan.
Sent Off:Â Steven Taylor (45).
Booked:Â Yanga-Mbiwa, Sissoko, Debuchy.
Att:Â 46,842
Ref:Â Andre Marriner (W Midlands).
Ratings by Chris Wheeler at Etihad Stadium
Poor Alan Pardew and Newcastle could not cope. They were two down after 22 minutes and it could have been more.
By half-time they were a man down, too, as Steven Taylor completed a dismal spell by cuffing Sergio Aguero to the floor.
By full-time, City had scored two more, spurned at least half-a-dozen chances — Edin Dzeko could have had four by himself — and the season was off and running for Manuel Pellegrini.
Certainly, Newcastle did not help themselves. The weekend seemed to suggest that Arsenal may have the most porous defence of the established clubs.
That baton has already passed to Pardew’s team and if Newcastle do not improve on this lamentable showing, life in the north-east is going to become difficult very soon for their manager.
It says everything about their performance that goalkeeper Tim Krul was their best player. The Dutchman made at least four saves of the highest class — the first as early as the second minute.
To obsess about Newcastle’s dreadful defending would be to take credit away from City, though, and after this performance that would not be right.
Flying start: Silva headed Manchester City into the lead in the sixth minute
On the spot: Silva was first to react after Newcastle failed to clear Edin Dzeko’s cross
No chance: Fabricio Coloccini and Tim Krul watch on helpless as Silva’s header hits the back of the net
Off the mark: Sliva’s (right) goal was his first in the Premier League with his head
Here’s how Silva headed City into an early lead –Â now click here for your brilliant bumper stats zone from the Etihad Stadium
SPORTSMAIL’S SUPER STAT
Four goals at the Etihad means City have now scored in 51 straight Premier League games.
They have also beaten Newcastle in eight straight games, with Yaya Toure scoring in the last four.
Such is the depth of Pellegrini’s squad that he was able to leave Micah Richards, Gareth Barry and Stevan Jovetic out of his 18, while James Milner, Samir Nasri and Alvaro Negredo began on the bench.
Nasri, such a puzzling player last season, came on and scored the fourth. He looked full of life.
So, too, did Dzeko, denied a goal that would have sealed one of his most complete performances in a City shirt.
Doubled: Sergio Aguero fired Manchester City 2-0 ahead with a clinical finish in the 22nd minute
Pinpoint: Aguero drilled the ball low and hard across Krul into the far corner
High-flying: Aguero celebrates his strike midway through the first half
GOOD OMEN?
Manchester City opened their 2011-12 Premier League campaign with a 4-0 home win over Swansea.
That season, Roberto Mancini’s men went on to lift the title after a nail-biting title race with neighbours Manchester United that went down to the wire.
New signings Jesus Navas and central midfielder Fernandinho enjoyed impressive evenings and only a groin injury suffered by their increasingly fragile captain Vincent Kompany counted as anything approaching a negative on what was pretty much a perfect night for the 2012 champions.
The game was over by the time Kompany departed.
Indeed, it was pretty much done and dusted after 22 minutes.
City could have taken the lead within two minutes as Pablo Zabaleta advanced to slash at the ball in the penalty area.
The Argentine could not make proper contact but a goal seemed certain for Sergio Aguero as he ran in from 12 yards only for Krul to save smartly. David Silva’s follow-up was blocked.
Seeing red: Steven Taylor was sent off after a collision with Aguero late in the first half
Clothesline: Taylor caught Aguero with his left arm while going up for a header
That way: Referee Andre Marriner gives Taylor his marching orders
MANAGERIAL DEBUTS
MANUEL PELLEGRINI (MANCHESTER CITY)
The Chilean’s first night could hardly have gone better as City thrashed a lacklustre Newcastle side 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium. All of City’s players looked to have been energised by his arrival, tearing into the Magpies from the outset. Their play was slick and dangerous and the rest of the league are warned. 9/10
DAVID MOYES (MANCHESTER UNITED)
The Scot faces the unenviable task of following Sir Alex Ferguson, but he got the new era off to the perfect start with a 4-1 win at Swansea, even getting two goals out of Danny Welbeck and an influential substitute cameo from Wayne Rooney. 7/10
JOSE MOURINHO (CHELSEA)
The return of Mourinho to the Premier League has been eagerly anticipated, and while the 2-0 home win over Hull was relatively straightforward, it at least ensured the Portuguese maintained his enviable unbeaten league record at Stamford Bridge. 7/10
ROBERTO MARTINEZ (EVERTON)
Everton fans may have been hoping for more than a 2-2 draw at Norwich but it was an encouraging start for the Spaniard, whose selection of academy graduate Ross Barkley will have pleased supporters. 6/10
MARK HUGHES (STOKE)
It will take a while for Hughes to change the long, direct, physical style ingrained by predecessor Tony Pulis, but there was evidence in the 1-0 defeat at Anfield that the Potters are playing a more open style with a greater reliance on passing, although there is still plenty of work to do. 5/10
Dzeko was next to test Krul as the goalkeeper dived to his right to push away a low shot in the fourth minute.
Newcastle’s resistance began to resemble a dam that was about to burst.
As it turned out, we only had to wait two more minutes.
Dzeko was involved again as he showed dexterity to reach the by-line on the left and when his cross was diverted out by Taylor, Silva headed into the net.
Newcastle tried to respond, but Yoan Gouffran mistimed his run and was offside when he beat Joe Hart. Soon after, Newcastle were two down and looked beaten.
Much of the credit should go to Kompany who won possession in his own half and fed Dzeko from deep.
The Bosnian flicked the ball first time into the path of Aguero and the forward — hustled by Taylor and confronted by Krul — managed to find the only spot that was not covered as his right-footed shot sped across the goalkeeper into the far corner.
It had been an impressive start by Aguero, who had not played a minute of pre-season due to injury.
Taylor, meanwhile, was having a dreadful time. Although referee Andre Marriner missed his handball in the area just before the break, the official spotted his needless waft with an arm at Aguero’s head and was quick to raise a red card.
With only 10 men, it was difficult to see how Newcastle would stem the bleeding.
Krul did his bit just after the interval, throwing himself to his left to palm aside Dzeko’s point-blank header.
Beauty: Toure’s free-kick early in the second half moved City 3-0 ahead
All smiles: Toure celebrates his goal with Samir Nasri
No 4: Samir Nasri completed City’s rout in the 75th minute with an excellent finish
Slotted: Nasri came off the bench to slot the ball beyond Krul into the bottom corner
Joy: Nasri celebrates his goal after a dominant performance by City
But two minutes later his defence failed him again as a flimsy wall was pierced by Yaya Toure’s free-kick and the ball flew high past the keeper’s right hand.
Dzeko missed the target with another header before Krul kept out his shot on the turn with his fingertips. There was to be one more goal, though, as Mathieu Debuchy inexplicably allowed Nasri to run off his shoulder on to a Zabaleta pass with 15 minutes left and score with some assurance.
A dream start for City, then. An absolute horror show from Newcastle. Neither, to be honest, was all that surprising.
In charge: New City boss Manuel Pellegrini gives instructions as Alan Pardew watches on
Unveiled: New signings Jesus Navas and Fernandinho (below) both started on Monday
ETIHAD STADIUM MATCH ZONE – by Chris Wheeler
WHO MADE ALL THE PIES?
They might do a mean Yohan Kebab up on Tyneside but at Manchester City the stadium cuisine has had a bit of a makeover.
Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver is behind ‘Fabulous Fan Fayre’, a £6million project to improve food on match days. Oliver has introduced gourmet pies as well as new hotdogs and burgers, all made with local produce.
Apparently the pork comes from Anna’s Happy Pigs in Yorkshire, though you have to wonder whether the pig who ended up in the hot dogs I saw was really that happy about it all.
On sale last night was Chicken, Ham and Leek Pie, Rainbow Vegetable Pie and Steak and Ale Pie, as well as three different kinds of hot dogs and burgers, ranging from £5 to £6.60. Fans can still buy old-fashioned fodder, but Oliver hopes his stalls will prove a popular alternative.
‘Stadiums have always been the holy grail,’ says Oliver. ‘People want pies and burgers and ’dogs. We want to make Man City’s food the best in the country.’ Being City as well, you can always ask for a Sheikh with that…
Bert Trautmann was honoured by City last night in their matchday programme and with a minute’s applause. The legendary goalkeeper, who appeared 545 times for the club, died in July.
Gary Lineker was impressed by one City signing. He tweeted: ‘Surprised how long it took Fernandinho to adjust to the pace of the league. Must have been all of 30 seconds.’
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