It was a blistering return to form by Kun and the perfect way for the Blues to head into the international break with their tails firmly up and normal service resumed.
Not bad considering the visitors held the lead until the 42nd-minute after being the better side for most of the half!
City began the game looking to avoid a third successive home defeat – something that hasn’t happened very often in recent years
...City v Newcastle...
Newcastle, yet to win a Premier League game this season, had failed to win away to the Blues in 11 attempts in the league and – on paper – perhaps ideal opposition for a City side looking to rediscover their superb early season form.
Yet a spirited 2-2 draw at home to Chelsea last weekend suggested Steve McClaren is making progress with his team and the first-half proved the Magpies are indeed showing the green shoots of recovery.
Before the pattern of a frustrating first-half really took shape, City should have been ahead. Kevin De Bruyne whipped in a low free-kick that Tim Krul did well to palm out and David Silva was first to the ball, but Fernando just couldn’t force his cross home from close range and Newcastle eventually scrambled the danger away.
Within 60 seconds, Silva chased a long ball and when Kevin Mbabu’s header fell short of Krul, he volleyed the ball over his head but well over the bar as well.
The Blues were given an early warning that the visitors weren’t here to make up the numbers when a clever ball into the box by Mbabu found Aleksandar Mitrovic in space but the Serbian’s attempt add lifting the cross over Joe Hart was collected easily by the City keeper.
However, the next chance for Mitrovic resulted in Newcastle taking the lead. Mbabu worked his way past Pablo Zabaleta before finding Georginio Wijnaldum and his clever ball was headed home by the big Serbian to send the travelling fans wild
...City v Newcastle...
Ten minutes later and the out-of-sorts Blues could have been two goals down as Mitrovic found himself with just Hart to beat but Hart saved brilliantly to keep his team within touching distance.
The Blues’ attacks were ineffective and littered with sloppy passes and as the game edged towards the break, it looked as though the visitors may take their deserved lead into half-time - but, with just three minutes of the half remaining, City finally put together a move that brought the equaliser, much to the relief of the sell-out crowd.
De Bruyne’s short corner found Silva; he played it to Zabaleta who returned the ball to Silva and his pinpoint cross picked out Fernandinho to nod across the box where Aguero planted a header past Krul. A weight lifted having had so many uncharacteristic misses, Kun suddenly looked in the mood to cause mayhem.
What followed after the break was nothing short of incredible as City tore the Magpies apart and with barely a quarter-of-an-hour played, the Blues were out of sight having added five goals in a devastating spell, orchestrated by Aguero
...City v Newcastle...
The demolition began with two goals inside a minute, Aguero scoring both – the first a low shot that took a wicked deflection past Krul and the second a delightful chip over the keeper after De Bruyne played him clear with a threaded pass through.
One of the fastest hat-tricks in City’s history was enhanced with a sublime De Bruyne volley two minutes later who spectacularly lifted Jesus Navas’ excellent cross out of the reach of Krul to lift the roof off the Etihad.
Then it was back to the Aguero show as the Argentine collected the ball outside the Newcastle box, nudged it forward before curling a 20-yard shot expertly inside the post on the hour.
And less than three minutes after that, he had his fifth of the game (and the Blues’ sixth if you’re losing count) as De Bruyne’s excellent quick low ball was turned in by a rampant Aguero who slid home from close range.
It was history-making stuff that had journalists thumbing through the history books and it was a blistering return to form by City’s talismanic forward - for the record, it equals a club record for an individual goal haul and also the Premier League record for most goals in a game.
Aguero was withdrawn shortly after to rapturous applause and the Blues – who had plenty of chances to increase their tally in the 25 minutes or so – declared at half-a-dozen. A game of two halves, indeed and quite a day for Sergio.
