Omar Marmoush produced a hat-trick in the first half while Manchester City entered the top four of the Premier League after his 4-0 victory against Newcastle United on Saturday afternoon.
The winter signature of 59 million pounds sterling dazzled the Etihad stadium with its triple of 14 minutes before the break, three clinics finish the pricks out of the orders. Pep Guardiola did not expect such a comfortable opening period after the recent difficulties of his team, but Newcastle posed the red carpet for the title champions of the Premier League.
A late injury to Erling Haaland somewhat spoiled an impressive triumph for the Cityzens, who scored their fourth in the last stages while James McATEE finished a second simple half for the Manchester Club.
How the game went
After the Friday evening defeat of Chelsea on the southern coast, the winner on Saturday knew that they would jump the blues and finish the weekend perched inside the qualification points of the Champions League. Such a price clearly stimulated the city during the first stadiums when they dominated possession – even if it was a direct approach which forged the opening.
Ederson rightly criticized his error against Real Madrid during the week, but the Brazilian presented his greatest strength in the 19th minute. An excellent floating ball above Newcastle’s defense was poorly judged by Kieran Trippier, allowing Marmoush to clean and lift the helpless Martin Dubravka.
Visitors looked surprisingly apathetic halfway through the first half and the city quickly doubled their advance to take full advantage. An unusually shy defense allowed Ilkay Gundogan to launch the last third and release Marmoush, who cut inside before beating Dubravka at his nearby post.
An excellent challenge of Dan Burn’s latest rejection refused the guests to shoot more clearly, but Newcastle’s respite lasted only four minutes. Marmoush completed his hat-trick just after the half hour while City tears their visitors, the Egyptian rifling of the precise delivery of Savinho at close range.
Newcastle turned to their bench at the start of the second half, but the introduction of Lewis Miley and Tino Livramento did not do much to turn the trend. While we have gotten used to witnesses in recent seasons, City has been masters to withdraw the procedural stitch to protect their cushion.
Just to make sure there would be no late nerves, City scored a fourth in the 84th minute to put the icing on the cake. Haaland, who later left the field following a knee injury concerning, set up McATEE with his film near the city while City fell to an impressive victory.
Discover the players for Man City VS Newcastle here.
There were justifiable expectations that City would have a hard time this weekend, especially with their game entrance match in the Champions in the Champions League on the horizon. But they have shown no Signs of Step Etihad against a team that had just beat Arsenal 4-0 in two games in the Carabao Cup semi-finals.
Newcastle made the lives of their graceful hosts easier, but there were glimpse of the devastating city of yesteryear when they mastered the side of Eddie Howe with their intensity and their ruthlessability in the last third. Few sides laugh at the Magpies, but the Cityzens did exactly this during the first half.
The second half was the city to their best ways, strangling life outside the meeting with the triangles that pass and slowing down the tempo to an inch of his life. It was not a big show, but it was the kind of game management that made them the best for so many years.
There were question points on the need to recruit Marmoush in Eintracht Frankfurt for a lot of money in January. Has the 26-year-old experienced a sensational first half of the campaign in Germany, but was a form sustainable? Or even transferable to English football?
Well, the screen of the first half of the winger-winger responded insistently to these questions.
City quickly started lightning in Etihad and was supported by the energy and speed of their two wide players. Marmoush and Savinho both provided the push that has often missed this season, the first steering wheel the show after three impressive strikes – all on a total XG of only 0.59.
The first presented his composure when he launched on Dubravka before powerful eyelashes beyond the city supporters offered by the Slovaks, an overview of the Egyptian technique and ball strike capacities. The home crowd was seduced by what they witnessed their new acquisition, which did not take long to discover its mojo in Manchester.
Just as City seemed to see the perfect afternoon in second speed, the Etihad remained silent while Haaland struck the bridge. While chasing the Newcastle background line, the Norwegian without a ceremony completed under his own weight, apparently twisted his knee in the process.
Of course, the severity of the injury remains unknown for the moment, but Haaland has at least been able to move away from the field without medical support. It is a positive sign, one could imagine, but the frantic rhythm of the touchline by Guardiola told his own story.
Although Haaland is never the most involved city player in a given match, he is still the difference manufacturer. This was obvious last Tuesday when he put a splint against Madrid in the Champions League.
Guardiola and all those inside the Etihad will now be left perspiring on his physical form, hoping that there is no long layoff for their pivotal sniper.
Having run to a berth among the first four after a resumption of results, Newcastle crashed on Earth during recent Premier League outings. They had fun during the Cup competitions, but their defeat in Etihad marks three championship defeats in four.
There is no shame to lose against City – especially on the road – but that makes visualization regarding adding to disappointing defeats at home against Bournemouth and Fulham. Did the Carabao cup of Newcastle perhaps succeed in the life of their qualification offer in the Champions League?
Only time will really tell us, but meetings with Nottingham Forest and Liverpool in their next two promises to test their skills titles. If the Magpies fail to win one or the other duel, a return to the first European competition would be more and more improbable.
