Manchester City v Newcastle United: Premier League – live!

75 min De Bruyne is booked for cynically taking out Saint-Maximin.

74 min The last two games have reminded Newcastle how far they have to climb. You’d imagine they’ll get there, but I can’t see them winning the title within four years of the takeover like City did.

73 min Laporte’s poor ball is nicked by Almiron. He plays in Trippier, whose dangerous cross is headed behind bravely by Fernandinho. The resulting corner is headed straight at Ederson by Lascelles, 12 yards out.

70 min Burn is booked for wrestling with Laporte before a corner is taken.

69 min Two changes for Newcastle: Callum Wilson and Kieran Trippier replace Chris Wood, who should have given Newcastle the lead many moons ago, and Emil Krafth.

68 min: Fine save from Dubravka! Grealish lays the ball back to Zinchenko, who whacks a fierce shot that is pushed over acrobatically by Dubravka.

67 min Grealish’s teasing cross is headed up in the air by Burn and pushed away unconvincingly by Dubravka, though he might have been fouled by Sterling.

66 min Here’s the Premier League table as it stands.

65 min Joao Cancelo, who still has the nerve to call himself a full-back, hits a fierce long-range drive not far wide.

63 min City bring on Phil Foden to replace Gabriel Jesus.

62 min “Afternoon Rob,” says John Potter. “Those people are small, the advertising hoardings are far away.”

De Bruyne flashed a left-wing corner to the near post, where Rodri got in front of Joelinton and steered an accomplished header past Dubravka. That’s an excellent finish.

It is 3-0, and it’s yet another set-piece goal for Sam Allardyce’s side.

60 min If it goes to 3-0 I think City will become goal-difference nutters for the remainder of the game, but for now they are managing the game quite carefully. That’s fair enough given what happened on Wednesday.

59 min And now Saint-Maximin, Newcastle’s liveliest attacker, shoots wide from the edge of the area. A half chance at best.

58 min “Yes,” says Matt Dony. “City will win the league this year. And next year, they’ll have Haaland. Gulp.”

We’ve seen with a number of players that it can take a while to adjust from the Bundesliga to the Premier League, so don’t be surprised if he only scores 60 goals next season.

56 min Guimaraes shoots well over the bar from long range.

54 min “As a hopeful Liverpool fan,” says Bilal Ahmed Shariff, “it’s tough watching City…”

By contrast, being a Manchester United fan these last few months has been a dopamine riot.

53 min Second-half possession percentages: Man City 99-1 Newcastle. Yep.

52 min “I think the only thing in danger from Moyes’ West Ham,” begins Ian Copestake, “will be ball boys.”

Miaow!

51 min City are in complete control, though I suppose we said the same thing at approximately 9.47pm on Wednesday night.

48 min “Sack Pep?!” WTFs Zach Neeley. “People have developed insane expectations. Last year City won the league and made it to the European final, losing 1-0 to another extremely strong team (and w his best player leaving injured. This year they’ll likely win the league again and would have made it to back to back finals if his team didn’t give up two stoppage-time goals. If you fire that manager you’re an incredible fool.”

It’s Tim Berners-Lee I really feel for.

47 min Sterling’s cutback hits a Newcastle defender and loops just past the far post. City look in the mood to massage their goal difference.

46 min City begin the second half. It sounds like Dias has a hamstring problem, so he must be a doubt for the away games at Wolves and West Ham.

Ruben Dias is coming off with an injury. Fernandinho replaces him. City are pretty short in defence now, with Dias, John Stones and Kyle Walker all injured.

“I don’t think those advertising hoardings are actually double-height,” says Joe Pearson. “I think they are staggered and just look like they are double-height on TV. You can see people in between the layers.”

That’s what they want you to think.

“Please can we drop the pretence that City are going to drop any points in their last four games,” says Rick Harris. “They won’t. The champions will retain their title and save their season. I guess that buys Pep another tilt at the Champions League although any other top-flight club would surely sack him?”

I politely disagree. Real Madrid might sack him; I don’t think any other team in world football would. For a start, the man’s on course to win his fourth league title in five years and his 10th in 13!

I do think City will win the league but it’s not a sure thing – West Ham is a particularly dangerous fixture, especially as they are still in the hunt for sixth place. But that result last night makes a difference as it means City can afford to draw a game.

Half-time reading

No sign of a hangover for Manchester City, who are heading back to the top of the Premier League. Raheem Sterling’s 19th-minute header calmed them down after a slightly tentative start, and Aymeric Laporte made it two just before half-time.

Newcastle started well, and Chris Wood should have given them the lead, but by the end of the half they were begging for mercy.

44 min And here are the City goals.