Ruben Dias and Joao Cancelo scored before
the break, and Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling netted in the second half.
Newcastle has now won just one of its 18
league games this season and is only above last-place Norwich on goal
difference.
Having been repeatedly punished for their
own mistakes in recent games, the Magpies set out with a makeshift back four
and knowing there was no margin for error against the reigning champions, but
capitulated in depressing fashion within five minutes.
Goalkeeper Martin Dubravka needlessly
conceded a corner after dwelling on Jamaal Lascelles’ back pass. After Kevin De
Bruyne’s initial delivery had been half cleared, Ciaran Clark failed to
intervene when Cancelo played the ball back across the six-yard box and Dias
headed into the unguarded net.
Newcastle looked vulnerable with Bernardo
Silva and De Bruyne picking holes in the defense.
Cancelo combined with De Bruyne and Mahrez
before leaving Joe Willock and Isaac Hayden in his wake and smashing a
27th-minute shot past the helpless Dubravka.
Ryan Fraser, much to his astonishment, saw
appeals for a penalty waved away by referee Martin Atkinson after he had been
wiped out by sliding City goalkeeper Ederson.
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe sent on Allan
Saint-Maximin for Willock at the break and the Frenchman’s pace immediately
presented City with a different problem, although it took a brilliant reaction
save by Dubravka to deny Gabriel Jesus after Silva had headed Cancelo’s cross
back across goal.
City added a third in the 63rd minute when
Mahrez converted Oleksandr Zinchenko’s cross with a VAR review correcting an
initial offside decision, and Sterling’s strike from Gabriel Jesus’ 86th-minute
cross deepened the gloom on Tyneside.