Saturday, 1 April, 2023
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Clinical Man City see off Newcastle

Clinical Man City see off Newcastle
English midfielder Phil Foden celebrates after scoring the opening goal of the English Premier League football match against Newcastle United at Etihad Stadium in Manchester on Saturday. –AFP PHOTO

Manchester City rode their luck to close the gap on Arsenal at the top of the Premier League to two points with a 2-0 win over Newcastle on Saturday.

Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva scored the goals for the defending champions, who were let off the hook at the Etihad by a series of glaring misses from the visitors.

Sean Longstaff, Callum Wilson and Joelinton were all guilty of not even forcing Ederson into a save as Newcastle suffered another blow to their hopes of a top-four finish.

City have shown flickers of their best form in recent weeks but relied on two moments of inspiration to claim a vital three points from a disjointed performance.

Foden struggled for form and fitness following the World Cup, but the England international has looked more like his old self over the past week.

The 22-year-old ghosted past four Newcastle challenges to score his fourth goal in three games thanks to the aid of a deflection off Sven Botman to beat Nick Pope on 15 minutes.

Pep Guardiola introduced Silva for De Bruyne in a bid to stem Newcastle's flow through the City midfield. The Portuguese had an immediate impact with the goal that settled City's nerves.