While watching direct rivals Liverpool advance to the Champions League final, City's mission this season is not over, especially after Liverpool are forced to draw with Tottenham, and Guardiola is expected to further leave Klopp behind in the Premier League.
Facing Newcastle, which has won 4 wins and 1 loss in the last 5 league rounds and brought a lot of trouble to Liverpool in the last round, Guardiola did not take it lightly, and firmly grasped the initiative of the game after the opening. Sterling helped City open the scoring in the 19th minute and Laporte extended his lead in the 38th minute. In the first half, City sent 10 shots on goal and 5 shots on target, as well as 63% possession, and took a 2-goal lead.
In the second half, City further consolidated their victory and sealed the victory with Rodri's header in the 61st minute, with Foden and Sterling scoring one goal each in injury time to set the score at 5-0. City shot 21 shots on goal and 9 shots on goal, with 71% possession. With a steady play, Manchester City extended the advantage of the title race to 3 points, and surpassed Liverpool with 4 goal differences, it can be said that the big win in this game has double insurance for Manchester City to compete for the Premier League title.
Combined with the game situation and the professional data website "Whoscored" scoring system, we will evaluate the specific performance of Manchester City players in this game.
Key performance players
Sterling 9.2
Opening the scoring for Manchester City and getting off to a perfect start, finishing twice before the final whistle, the "unhappy" Sterling is a master of abuse. 2 shots on goal, 2 shots on target, 2 goals converted, 100% of goals conversion rate; 32 accurate passes, 3 key passes, pass success rate of 86%;
De Bruyne 8.7
The source of City's attacking firepower, assisted Rodri to score the third goal, and sealed the victory early. 55 accurate passes, giving a game-high 6 key passes, contributing 3 scoring opportunities, 1 assist, 1 interception and 1 steal.
Rodri 8.6
Midfield stabilizer, passing schedule drip, scored the crucial 3rd goal. 1 goal is converted into 1 goal; 99 accurate passes, 2 key passes, and a pass success rate of 93%; 6 aerial battles are successful 5 times, completing 2 clearances, 1 interception, and 2 steals.
Glaris 8 points
The Champions League semi-final substitute almost became the hero of the team, which seemed to give "Mr. One Hundred Million" confidence, and after returning to the league to get the start, he was extremely eager to perform, assisting Sterling's second goal and seeing signs of integration into the tactical system. 40 accurate passes, 5 key passes, second only to De Bruyne, the pass success rate is 93%, and only 9 times the ball is lost in the whole game.
Normal play players
Jesus 7.3 points
The only player lost in the front, who performed mediocrely on the offensive end, was replaced by Foden in the 63rd minute. 0 shots on goal, 22 accurate passes, 85% pass success rate, 2 dribbling, 4 confrontations all successful, 7 times lost the ball.
Gundogan 7.4 points
In the case of no pressure in defense, the offensive dispatch is at ease, and the physical confrontation declines significantly. 5 shots, 1 foot to shoot, 95 accurate passes, 7 long passes to successfully pass 6 feet, 2 key passes to send, pass success rate of 93%, 8 physical confrontations 6 failures, complete 1 interception, 1 steal.
Zinchenko 7.3 points
Performed diligently, with little defensive pressure, active participation in the attack, assisted Foden to score the fourth goal. 2 shots, 1 foot on target, 78 accurate passes, 1 key pass, 1 assist, 92% pass success rate, 2 clearances and 1 steal.
Laporte 7.6 points
The defense was stress-free, acting as a "knife guard" and scoring the team's second goal. 2 passes were sent, 4 aerial battles were successful, 72 accurate passes, 5 long passes were successful, and the pass success rate was 96%.
Díaz 6.9
Shortly after returning from injury, he felt a little tired, missed a scoring opportunity, and was replaced by Guardiola at the end of the first half. Sent 2 times to break the siege, 1 confrontation, 4 times in the air to win all successfully, 25 feet of accurate passing, the pass success rate of 78%.
Cancelo 7.7 points
In addition to the header ferry assist Sterling's opening record, the overall performance was not satisfactory, especially the lack of stability in the pass success rate. 5 shots, 1 foot on target, 1 missed scoring opportunity, 51 accurate passes, 3 crosses, 4 long passes all failed, the pass success rate was 82%, 1 interception, 1 steal was completed.
Edson 7.3 points
Another game that was prone to catching a cold, and after Sterling scored, he made a key save and instantly stabilized the situation on the field.
Substitute player
Foden 7.1 points
Replacing Jesus, who was not in good form, he showed great efficiency and scored Manchester City's fourth goal before the final game. 13 passes with a 100% success rate, 1 shot converted into 1 goal.
Fernandinho 6.8 points
Replacing Díaz as centre-back in the second half, he was as solid as ever. 51 feet of accurate passing, passing success rate of 93%, 3 aerial battles all successful, sent 2 times to break the siege.
Riley 6.4 points
Tactical substitutions, 3 minutes of playing time, it is difficult to make performances.