Manchester City returned to the top of the Premier League this afternoon with a 2-0 win against Newcastle, but the victory may have come at a cost with injuries to key players coming during the game.
Samir Nasri and Yaya Toure were both injured during the game, with Nasri looking like a potentially serious knee injury.
Eden Dzeko gave City the lead in the eighth minute when he scored from a Kolarov pass. Alvaro Negredo scored the second goal deep into injury time.
Newcastle appeared to have pulled the game level on 34 minutes when Cheick Tiote scored a sublime strike from outside the area only for the assistant referee to judge that Yoan Gouffran, in an offside position in the box, was playing an active role and therefore the goal should not be allowed. The ruled out goal led to an angry exchange between the Alan Pardew and Manuel Pellegrini.
Newcastle, presumably emboldened by the sense they had been wronged, came back out for the second half in the mood to trouble City. Remy and Cabaye both came close to the equaliser – with Cabaye in particular testing Joe Hart in the City goal, on more than one occasion.
Yaya Toure and Samir Nasri were injured during the second half, with Nasri the victim of a, at best, reckless tackle from behind by Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa. City’s midfielder writhed on the ground and was stretchered off following an extended delay during which medical staff treated him on the pitch.
Newcastle continued to press but Alvaro Negredo was the man to put the final flourish on what had been a grim encounter for the neutral observer. The Spaniard broke through the Newcastle backline in the 95th minute and, capitalising on Newcastle’s advanced position in their hunt for an equaliser, found only Tim Krul blocking his path to goal.
Krul saved Negredo's initial attempt, but it wasn’t enough as the rebound ricocheted into the path of Negredo and invited the striker to saunter towards goal. With minimal fuss he tucked away the goal to ensure City's safe, if bruised, return to the Premier League summit.
