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Your support makes all the difference.When asked what made Sergio Aguero special, the Everton captain, Phil Jagielka, said it was his hunger. Yes, the Argentine had strength and could turn a centre-half ruthlessly, but what set him apart was his determination to keep on scoring.
When Aguero was substituted yesterday, he had scored five times but there were still 26 minutes remaining. He looked furious.
No footballer has ever scored a double hat-trick in the Premier League and, had he stayed on, a Newcastle side that were leading with 42 minutes gone might have conceded 10. Their record against Manchester City is beyond dreadful. They have not won any of their last 18 fixtures and this defeat would have hit Newcastle in the pit of their stomach. They have played well in both their visits to Manchester and led Chelsea by two goals. Yet they are already five points adrift of safety.
Steve McClaren, the Newcastle manager, said he had been beaten 7-0 at Arsenal when in charge of Middlesbrough and still steered the club to a Uefa Cup final. But that Boro team had fighters, men like Gareth Southgate and Mark Viduka. Newcastle have nothing of that sort.
Four other teams have conceded five goals to a single opponent in the Premier League and all four were relegation candidates. You would not bet against Newcastle joining them. Once Aguero broke through with a neat, close-range header, Newcastle disintegrated.
Aguero, brilliantly supported by David Silva and Kevin de Bruyne, had come into this game having not found the net in the Premier League for something approaching eight hours. Once he scored, all the old certainties returned.
Last October, Aguero had hit all four goals against Tottenham but this was better. Newcastle had, in McClaren’s words, “come here to win” and Manchester City’s defence had given them every encouragement. When Aleksandar Mitrovic stooped almost on his knees to meet Georgino Wijnaldum’s low cross, there was no centre-half anywhere near. As Joe Hart picked himself up, he swore, loudly.
With Aguero surging towards him, like a dog after a piece of meat, the thoughts of the Newcastle keeper, Tim Krul, would have been unprintable. For Manchester City’s second, which was the goal that decided this contest, his shot had taken a deflection from Yoan Gouffran.
There was, however, nothing remotely fortuitous about the one that gave Aguero the sixth hat-trick of his City career - a lovely, measured chip over Krul by a forward who understood precisely how much time he had. It was not, however the best goal of the game, which was a volley by De Bruyne delivered as he turned on the edge of the six-yard box.
His hat-trick had not sated Aguero’s hunger and he kept marauding forward.
When he took the ball to the fringe of the Newcastle area, he appeared to have already picked his spot and the shot was delivered surgically. The sixth and his fifth was a slide between two defenders to meet De Bruyne’s cross. The time from his first to his fifth had spanned 20 minutes.
His manager, Manuel Pellegrini, said he decided to substitute Aguero because he was still suffering the effects of a knock he sustained in midweek against Borussia Monchengladbach and had undergone treatment at half-time. When reminded Aguero scored four after the interval, Pellegrini smiled and said: “It was very good treatment.”
Manchester City: (4-2-3-1) Hart; Zabaleta, Mangala, Otamendi, Kolarov; fernando, Fernandinho; De Bruyne, Silva (Iheanacho, 75), Sterling (Navas, h-t); Aguero (Bony, 64).
Newcastle United: (4-4-2) Krul; Janmaat, Mbemba, Coloccini, Mbabu (lascelles, 53); Sissoko (Tiote, 66), Wijnaldum, Anita, Gouffran (Thauvin, 66); Perez, Mitrovic.
Referee: Kevin Friend
Man of the match: Aguero (Manchester City)
Match rating: 8/10
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