Manchester City pull 15 points clear of United after Raheem Sterling ensures victory over Newcastle

Newcastle United 0 Manchester City 1: Sterling scored the only goal as City missed a hatful of chances

Sterling's first-half strike was enough for the visitors (Getty)

The run is now 18. Imperious Manchester City and their manager Pep Guardiola are within 90 minutes of emulating a record he set when in charge of Bayern Munich.

Newcastle can now get ready for the bigger challenge of staying in the Premier League with a home game against Brighton. But there was much more than that on a night when the very nature of the world’s richest football league was called into question by those employed within it; the lopsided financial gulf exposed on a night that somehow, through desire, a tactical device hammered by those watching in television studios almost ended who is becoming a relentless march.

The first half, from the very first second, had been quite extraordinary. Newcastle, with the kick-off, allowed Jonjo Shelvey to ping the ball straight at Ederson in the Manchester City goal. It counted for a shot on target. It was as clear a sign as you liked that Newcastle had no desire for possession.

It drew an incredulous reaction. By the close of the first half. Newcastle had mustered 17 per cent possession. That had dropped to 10 per cent at times. A graphic after 30 minutes showed five touches in the City half. Another stat showed Newcastle as a team had 24 passes and Nicolas Otamendi had 53.

Sterling squeezed home his 13th league goal of the season (Getty)

At half-time, Jamie Carragher called the game “embarrassing”. He said it was a “sad state of affairs” and spoke of a “joke league”.

Gary Neville was equally damning. “It’s the most negative 30 minutes I’ve seen in the Premier League.”

For 30 minutes Newcastle defended the Gallowgate End so deep they were in danger of stepping into the Strawberry Public house on the corner of the stadium, but there was a pressing argument ignored of what they were supposed to do. Benitez’s starring XI cost £48m. Add that to the value of the club Mike Ashley is trying to sell for £300m and you still do not reach the £370m that Guardiola’s team cost to assemble.

The discrepancy in financial power in the Premier League has been coming, but it drew a collective intake of breath because it was a club with the potential to be big in Newcastle United.

Despite the attempt to stifle the life out of City, they still had plenty of chances. Sergio Aguero clipped the outside of the near Newcastle post in the seventh minute. Kevin De Bruyne fired over from the edge of the penalty area and in the 18th minute Rob Elliot excelled with a fine save to tip over Aguero’s glancing header.

Gabriel Jesus was denied by Elliot and De Bruyne shot over with his leg foot.

And yet for all that, and the feeling of inevitability when City scored, there was a mistake in its creation when Chancel Mbemba, the right-sided of the three Newcastle central defenders, failed to track the run of Raheem Sterling.

That meant the Newcastle captain Jamaal Lascelles, watched by the England manager Gareth Southgate, had to attempt to block the pass. He could not get there in time but it was still the finest of touches from Sterling to finally open the scoring, touching the ball with the soul of his boot in the Newcastle net.

Kompany hobbled off after less than 10 minutes with another injury setback (Getty)

A third of the game had gone.

Newcastle, the city and the team, stirred in the 34th minute. A right wing cross from DeAndre Yedlin was missed as Kyle Walker slipped. Rolando Aarons dinked a chip over Ederson and it needed a saving clearance on the line from Nicolas Otamendi to stop the most unlikely of equalisers.

The pattern soon returned.

Paul Dummett blocked an effort from Aguero on his own line and Elliot did well to deny Sterling’s shot from the edge of the penalty area.

And then came a second half that would end with a Dwight Gayle glancing header going narrowly wide of the Manchester City upright.

Gayle would also take a yellow card for simulation in the 75th minute when he looked better placed to shoot. By then Guardiola’s exaggerated touchline demeanour told you that Newcastle had somehow stayed in the fight until the final bell.

Aguero hit the post twice and had a goal disallowed (Getty)

De Bruyne had still hit a post, Ilkay Gundogan had watched an effort tip away by Elliot and Aguero had a goal disallowed.

It was still City’s day, their run and it will, barring the most unlikely of capitulations, be their title.

But Benitez had at least raised a question, about what is acceptable in the attempt to stop them.

Newcastle (5-4-1): Elliot; Yedlin, Mbemba (Merino 77), Lascelles, Dummett, Manquillo; Aarons (Atsu 71), Diame, Shelvey, Murphy; Joselu (Gayle 62).

Manchester City: (4-1-4-1): Ederson; Walker, Company (Jesus 11), Otamendi, Danilo; Fernandinho; Bernardo (Sane 82), De Bruyne, Gundogan, Sterling; Aguero (Mangala 77).