City regain sublime form against Newcastle
Wolves beaten by Sheffield Utd as Burnley push West Ham back into danger
Manchester City moved to the brink of sealing their place in the Premier League top four by bouncing back to form to thrash Newcastle 5-0, while Wolves’ Champions League aspirations stumbled again in a 1-0 defeat at Sheffield United.
West Ham United’s hopes of climbing clear of the relegation zone suffered a blow as a Jay
Rodriguez header gave Burnley a 1-0 win at the London Stadium. The Hammers are in 16th place on 31 points, just four points above 17th-placed Aston Villa who have a game in hand.
The winner came in the 38th minute when Charlie Taylor whipped in a cross from the left and Rodriguez’s glancing header flew in off the underside of the crossbar.
City lost for the ninth time in the league this season at Southampton on Sunday despite dominating possession and chances in a recurring theme of their season.
But Pep Guardiola’s men have also showed what they are capable of when at their best since football’s restart last month, winning all four games at the Etihad by a combined score of 17-0.
Gabriel Jesus was one of the main culprits when it came to missed chances at St Mary’s, but the Brazilian got the confidence boost he needed after just 10 minutes as he steered David
Silva’s cross into the far corner. Kevin De Bruyne then moved to within one of Thierry Henry’s record of 20 Premier League assists in a season with another low cross that picked out Riyad Mahrez for a simple finish.
There was more than a hint of fortune to City’s third as Matt Ritchie’s attempted clearance ricocheted off Federico Fernandez into his own net.
Silva’s appearances at the Etihad are running out with the Spaniard ending his 10-year stay in Manchester when City’s season finishes in August, but he left another reminder of why he will be so missed with a sumptuous free-kick to make it 4-0.