City lost 3-2 to their cross-town rivals in a fiery Manchester derby last weekend but the champions showed no ill-effects in the early stages at St James´ Park and took the lead in the 10th minute with a beautifully crafted goal.[break]
Stand-in captain Yaya Toure split the home defence with a delicately weighted pass down the inside-right channel and Samir Nasri showed excellent awareness to roll the ball square for Sergio Aguero to tap into an empty net.
Javi Garcia claimed City´s second in the 39th minute with a header from a left-wing corner, although Newcastle full-back Davide Santon made a complete hash of his attempt to clear the ball.
Manchester City´s Carlos Tevez, right, vies for the ball with Newcastle United´s Vurnon Anita, during their English Premier League soccer match at St James´ Park, Newcastle, England, Saturday, Dec. 15. (AP)
Newcastle hit back six minutes into the second half, Demba Ba beating City goalkeeper Joe Hart to Fabio Coloccini´s hooked cross to head home, but Toure touched in Pablo Zabaleta´s 78th-minute centre to make the points safe.
Manchester United can restore their six-point advantage if they win at home to Sunderland later on Saturday.
Liverpool will go in search of a third consecutive victory at home to Aston Villa, having closed to within four points of the Champions League places following last weekend´s 3-2 win at West Ham United.
Fourth-place Everton visit Stoke City and Norwich City host Wigan Athletic, while bottom club Queens Park Rangers´ quest for a first win of the campaign continues at home to Fulham.
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