SERGIO’S TREBLE SINKS NEWCASTLE
City survive brief scare against Newcastle as Aguero scores treble
THE roar that greeted Sergio Aguero’s strike for his hat-trick in the 83rd minute was perhaps louder than you might have expected for a routine victory. It was even perhaps tinged with a little relief.
It was not as though Manchester City were staggering across the line, nor had they been rattled as they were by Liverpool last Sunday. They were thoroughly in control of this game.
It was just that Newcastle, having pretty much declined to engage for 66 minutes, in an 18-minute spell before Aguero made it 3-1, were making a game of this.
Rafa Benitez had used all his acumen to keep City at bay. It did not make for attractive viewing and it epitomised the lack of ambition which envelops this club under Mike Ashley, whose ownership was challenged and abused by travelling fans.
Yet when Jacob Murphy had unexpectedly dragged them back into the game, for a brief moment you could believe they might glean a point here. Even City’s defence, so brittle last Sunday, sensed it. There was an inkling of doubt creeping in.
It was dissipated by Leroy Sane. With City, there is always someone magical to ward off dark thoughts. So it was in the 84th minute that he sprinted past DeAndre Yedlin and Mohamed Diame, then turned back on himself to leave them wrongfooted, slipped his pass past Jamaal Lascelles and played in Aguero. He finished with the requisite coolness, another three goals to add to his tally, his 11th hat-trick for City.
It also restored their 12-point advantage at the top of the Premier League. The game had the scoreline you might have expected and City, just in case anyone doubted it, have now reasserted their authority as champions-elect.
Initially, Newcastle were not quite as defensive as they had been at St James’ Park in December. They even ventured into City’s half a couple of times. But on the second occasion they tried that and players streamed forward in support, Joselu gave the ball away with the laziest pass and, about 20 seconds later, David Silva was playing in Raheem Sterling to guide the ball into the net.
Fortunately for Newcastle, on this occasion, Sterling was a fraction offside and the goal disallowed. But it served as a warning about getting ideas above their station. And so they retreated into familiar mode: effectively five defenders, two holding midfielders, with wingers tucking in to help.
The problem, of course, comes when City score, as they almost inevitably do. Though not especially slick nor playing at their usual tempo in those opening 35 minutes, there was still a sense of foreboding for Newcastle.
In the 33rd minute, goalkeeper Karl Darlow was scrambling to save from Silva after Sane and Oleksandr Zinchenko combined delightfully to set him up.
A minute later Newcastle were exposed. Kevin De Bruyne sent in a whipped cross and Aguero seemed to get the faintest of touches with his head to direct it past Darlow. De Bruyne appeared happy to award the goal to his team-mate, though he may call in the VAR to deliberate if he is on a goals bonus.
Lasting 34 minutes against City is no mean feat; it is just, having been breached, it is hard to know what to do with the remaining 56 minutes of the game. Newcastle settled back into formation and City continued to probe. And when, in the 40th minute, De Bruyne sized up a strike, Darlow did well to dive and push it away.
Having survived to half-time just the goal down, Benitez made no discernible tactical changes for the second half, presumably content to stay in the game until the last 15 minutes.
And to Newcastle’s credit, City were most unlike their usual selves, The torpor seemed to be infectious. There were occasional bursts, such as when Javier Manquillo prevented Sane heading home and when Lascelles had to block as Kyle Walker crossed for Aguero, but City created very little early in the second half.
With so much creative quality on the pitch, however, it seemed inconceivable that a mistake would not be made. It came in the 62nd minute when Sterling dashed into the box, leaving Manquillo struggling to keep up. In his efforts to scramble back, he leaned on Sterling, who fell to the ground and won the penalty. Aguero duly converted. All tensions duly evaporated. The game appeared as good as finished. And yet, from somewhere, Newcastle produced a riposte. There seemed no undue danger until Ciaran Clark played a wonderful ball which completely split the City defence in the 67th minute. Onrushing was Murphy. With time to think, Ederson to beat and carrying the ball at speed, he would have known it was a defining moment, yet kept his head admirably, chipping the ball over the keeper. There was a small explosion of hope among Newcastle’s travelling fans and they roared in expectation. Their players responded, Diame cutting inside in the 72nd minute and forcing a save from Ederson, which required City to hack clear. It was no surprise that it was Aguero who added the finishing touch.