Soccer
Manchester City go three points clear atop Premier League after easy Newcastle win
Manchester City have retaken sole possession of first place in the 2021-22 Premier League standings following their routine 5-0 victory over visiting Newcastle United on Sunday.
The Sky Blues started the day tied on points with Liverpool after the Reds' comeback draw with Tottenham Hotspur nearly 24 hours earlier, but a pair of goals from Raheem Sterling and single strikes from each of Aymeric Laporte, Rodri and Phil Foden were more than enough to secure the win for Pep Guardiola's side — and the subsequent cushion atop the table that accompanied it.
Newcastle entered Sunday's match having won four of their previous five league contests, but the Magpies weren't able to muster much against a well-oiled City side still reeling from their Champions League exit a few days earlier. Instead, the Sky Blues re-asserted their status as the front runners to claim the league title, boasting 72 percent possession and outshooting their visitors 17-7.
It was such a dominant display that fans at the Etihad Stadium spent much of the second half urging their side to press for more goals, but the team were content with their output until Foden and Sterling's stoppage-time strikes put an exclamation mark on the performance.
City hold a three-point lead over Liverpool with three matches remaining for both clubs. The Sky Blues have games against Wolves, West Ham and Aston Villa to end the campaign, while Liverpool's final three matches are against Aston Villa, Southampton and Wolves.
