Manchester City shot to the top of the table in their opening Premier League outing of the season with a comprehensive 4-0 battering of hapless Newcastle United on Monday night in the Etihad Stadium, Manchester. It took City a mere six minutes to break the deadlock; Edin Dzeko's deflected cross found David Silva, who hammered a header past Krul for the first goal. It didn't take Sergio Aguero long to get in on the act: his sublime curling shot beat Tim Krul at the far post on 22 minutes, and the Magpies found themselves 2-0 down with less than a quarter of the match played. It could have been different, as the Magpies had a goal ruled out for offside, but the early problems were compounded late in the first half thanks to a reckless decision by Steven Taylor. Things went from bad to much worse for the Tynesiders when Taylor was sent off on 44 minutes for a frankly stupid swing at Aguero, leaving the Magpies a man and two goals down at half-time. Manchester City's dominance continued after the break, and it took Yaya Toure less than 5 minutes to extend their lead. The experienced midfielder curled a free-kick into the net on 50 minutes for a 3-0 advantage. Manchester City continued to press, and substitute Samir Nasri added a fourth on 75 minutes. It could have been more; debutant Alvaro Negredo had a goal ruled out for offside on 87 minutes, and Edin Dzeko had numerous scoring opportunities, denied consistently by an overworked Krul. A fantastic start for a dominant Manchester City, and with a promising cameo by Negredo, it's looking like they'll be challenging for major honours at the very least. For Newcastle, it's a predictably disastrous start. Yohan Cabaye didn't play amid an impromptu £10 million bid from Arsenal that angered Pardew, their defence was paper-thin, and aside from Ben Arfa, didn't offer much offensively. There is hope however; a loss to City isn't an unexpected event and new loan signing Loic Rémy is still to come into the side. However, it's now certain Alan Pardew will require a new face or two before the season begins in earnest for them. Manchester City: Hart, Kompany (Garcia 71), Zabaleta, Lescott, Clichy, Navas, Silva (Negredo 80), Fernandinho, Toure, Dzeko, Aguero (Nasri 62) Newcastle United: Krul, Coloccini, Yanga-M'Biwa, Debuchy, S Taylor, Sissoko, Gutierrez (Anita 44), Tiote, Cisse, Ben Arfa (Sa Ameobi 65), Gouffran (Dummett 45 )
Diarmuid is a freelance student and studious sports journalist operating out of the wilds of Dublin, Ireland. His specialist subjects include the English Premier League, the GAA, and track and field athletics.
