Manchester City’s striker Sergio Aguero (R) reacts after scoring during an English Premier League football match between against Newcastle United at The Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England on October 3, 2015. PHOTO/AFP
MANCHESTER, October 3- Argentina striker Sergio Aguero bagged a stunning five-goal haul for Manchester City as they thrashed Newcastle United 6-1 in the Premier League on Saturday.
The 27-year-old cancelled out Aleksandar Mitrovic’s opener in the 42nd minute at the Etihad Stadium and netted again in the 49th, 50th, 60th and 62nd minutes, with Kevin De Bruyne also finding the target.
“Very happy about the five goals and the victory,” Aguero wrote on Twitter after the game, in which he was substituted in the 64th minute. “Thank you all for the encouragement and support. C’mon, City!”
Aguero’s 20-minute goal spree recalled the recent exploits of Robert Lewandowski, who scored five goals in nine minutes in Bayern Munich’s 5-1 defeat of Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga.
He became the fifth player to score five goals in an English top-flight game since the launch of the Premier League in 1992, after Andrew Cole, Alan Shearer, Jermain Defoe and Dimitar Berbatov.
City captain Vincent Kompany, who missed the game through injury, wrote on Twitter that Aguero’s display had been “world class”.
De Bruyne, who also set up two of Aguero’s goals, said: “Sergio Aguero can score goals out of nothing. It is great to have him in the team, obviously.”
Aguero, who famously netted the 94th-minute goal against Queens Park Rangers in 2012 that earned City the title, has now scored seven goals in four games, but he had not netted in the league since August.
“I’m happy for Kun, he deserves it,” said City manager Manuel Pellegrini, using Aguero’s nickname. “He makes the difference. In the last game he missed chances, but he was calm and that was key.
“To see him play at the level he played at today… not only he must be happy, but all the fans.”
Explaining his decision to withdraw Aguero, Pellegrini added: “He was not upset about going off. He was having treatment at half-time and it was a risk for him to finish the whole game.”
Aguero joined City from Atletico Madrid in 2011 for a reported fee of £35 million ($53.1 million, 47.4 million euros).
He has won two league titles and the League Cup during his time at the club, making 175 appearances and scoring 115 goals.
The Premier League’s five-goal club
Andrew Cole (ENG), Manchester United against Ipswich Town, March 4 1995 (9-0)
Alan Shearer (ENG), Newcastle United against Sheffield Wednesday, September 22 1999 (8-0)
Jermain Defoe (ENG), Tottenham Hotspur against Wigan Athletic, November 22 2009 (9-1)
Dimitar Berbatov (BUL), Manchester United against Blackburn Rovers, November 27 2010 (7-1)
Sergio Aguero (ARG), Manchester City against Newcastle United, October 3 2015 (6-1)
