Sergio Agüero scored five goals in 20 minutes as Manchester City moved back to the top of the table by running riot against Newcastle. As remarkable a scoring feat as that is, it was all the more astonishing for being utterly impossible to predict at half-time, when City were jeered off the field by their own supporters.

For poor old Newcastle, still searching for their first win and in front for much of the first half, this result was even more cruel than Chelsea’s late comeback on Tyneside last week. At least they salvaged a point from that match. Here, despite more than holding their own in a first half they shaded, they were blown away by a second half explosion that appeared to come from nowhere.

City could have taken the lead in the first few minutes when Tim Krul could not quite hold a Kevin De Bruyne free-kick at the foot of his right post. An almighty goalline scramble ensued but somehow Newcastle survived. A couple of minutes later Kevin Mbabu got in the way of a close-range Agüero header and that was all the home side managed to create in the first half-hour, despite fielding their first-choice attacking quartet for the first time in the Premier League.

Considering the amount of money involved in bringing in De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling over the summer, City’s lack of penetration was a worry for the home support, particularly as Newcastle appeared capable of opening up their opponents with ease. Kevin Mbabu, the makeshift left-back who was again impressive, set up a chance for Aleksandar Mitrovic that Joe Hart had to be alert to foil, though the concern for City was that one decent ball into the area had left the Newcastle striker with only the goalkeeper to beat.

That happened on a number of occasions in the first half. A couple of times City were reprieved by borderline offside decisions, Hart also came to the rescue again by sticking out a leg when Mitrovic really should have scored, so there was no question that Newcastle deserved the lead they took midway through the first half with a goal that fully exposed the uncertainty that usually afflicts this defence whenever Vincent Kompany is missing. First Mbabu knocked the ball past Pablo Zabaleta on the left and confidently beat him for speed. Mbabu’s cross was not particularly well-directed and Eliaquim Mangala managed to cut it out, but only succeeded in setting up Georginio Wijnaldum to have another go, and this time a better delivery that left the central defenders struggling to regain position and allowed Mitrovic to beat Hart with a free header from the six yard line.

The only good news for City was that Newcastle did not add to their lead in the period when they were on top. As half-time approached the home side gradually clawed their way back into the game, with first Agüero and then Fernandinho sending shots narrowly wide, and just as against Chelsea last week Newcastle found themselves asking for trouble by defending too deep.

An equaliser finally arrived three minutes before the break, Fernandinho heading David Silva’s cross back across goal for Agüero to finish from close range. There were half-hearted boos as the players left the field at half-time. Not full-throated, angry dissent, just a low level expression of disappointment. City were supposed to be better than this. Newcastle are winless at the bottom end of the table yet they played the best football. It was no surprise that Sterling was replaced by Jesús Navas for the second half, because it was exactly what some of the home fans had been demanding.

It should not be said that the substitution changed the course of the game, for Navas was not immediately into the action and Newcastle contributed to their own downfall by dozily surrendering possession in their own half to invite Agüero to score a quick second. Nevertheless, the fact remains that a mere five minutes into the second half City were 3-1 in front and Steve McClaren’s side were back on duty as cannon fodder.

There was a touch of good fortune about Agüero’s second goal, a deflection off Yoan Gouffran made life difficult for Krul when the goalkeeper might otherwise have had the shot covered, yet there was nothing streaky about the third, fourth or fifth. The Argentinian’s hat-trick arrived in the 50th minute, his third goal coming just eight minutes of play after the first, when he latched on to De Bruyne’s through ball and instinctively lifted a shot over Krul. Then on the hour the Newcastle defence unwisely stood off the striker to allow a shot from the angle of the area with wholly predictable results, before a fifth goal in 20 minutes came when Agüero turned up on the end of a neat passing triangle involving Silva and De Bruyne.

The Agüero-fest was only interrupted when De Bruyne scored City’s fourth, arguably the best of the afternoon, meeting a Navas cross from the right with a perfectly executed volley to loop the ball over Krul and into the far corner.

There were more grumbles from the home fans when Agüero was taken off shortly after his fifth, though this time they were clearly intended in jest. Had he remained on the field against a dispirited Newcastle side he might easily have approached double figures and Wilfried Bony must have had mixed feeling about coming on as the follow-up act.

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/oct/03/manchester-city-newcastle-united-premier-league-match-report-sergio-aguero