De Bruyne celebrated his birthday in style by giving us the lead from the spot when Gabriel Jesus was fouled in the box just after the half hour mark, before Sterling sumptuously bent into the far corner to put the game to bed.
While Newcastle fought until the end, Pep Guardiola’s men looked typically confident on the ball and were full value for the win which earns us a last four clash against Arsenal.
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After an early onslaught from City, including chances for Sterling, Jesus and Riyad Mahrez in particular, the pressure eventually told with ten to go before the break.
De Bruyne, turning 29 today, was gifted a chance to break the deadlock after Jesus was bundled over by Fabian Schar in the box.
And the Belgian made no mistake from the spot with a typically cool finish, sending Karl Darlow the wrong way to hand us a deserved half time lead.
City continued to set the pace after the break and almost doubled our lead within ten minutes of the restart when Mahrez’ expertly got the ball out of his feet and launched a powerful effort just over the bar from the edge of the box.
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But despite our relative dominance, Newcastle should have leveled just after the hour when an unmarked Dwight Gayle, fresh off the bench, skied an Allan Saint-Maximin cross over the bar from six yards out.
And the hosts were made to rue that missed opportunity almost immediately when Sterling cut in on his right foot and curled the ball delightfully into the far corner of the net to double our lead.
A stylish and dominant display from Pep Guardiola’s men as we marched on in our quest to retain the famous old trophy!
Enjoy the best of the action by checking out the gallery below…
