Manchester City demolished Newcastle United 5-0 at the Etihad Stadium this afternoon to move within five points of Chelsea at the top of the Premier League table.

Sergio Aguero, Samir Nasri and Edin Dzeko were all on the scoresheet inside the opening 21 minutes, while David Silva added a second-half brace to cap off an impressive performance.

Here, Sports Mole takes a look at who shone during a one-sided encounter.

MAN CITY

Goal

Joe Hart: Made one fine save from a deflected Cisse volley early in the second half, but that was Newcastle's one and only shot on target. (7/10)

Defence

Pablo Zabaleta: Rarely tested defensively and spent most of his time offering another body to City's attack. Caught out by one ball over the top for Cisse's volley, but otherwise was as solid as ever. (7/10)

Vincent Kompany: Will not have had many easier games this season. Helped his side to a first clean sheet in nine league games with minimum fuss. (7/10)

Eliaquim Mangala: Often criticised earlier in the campaign, but is now settling into English football and enjoyed another uneventful game today. (7/10)

Aleksandar Kolarov: Provided a few dangerous deliveries into the box, both from open play and set pieces. Those in front of him did all of the damage, though. (7/10)

Midfield

Samir Nasri: Took his goal very well to double the lead and effectively kill the game off. Also provided an assist and could have had more but for some over-complication in the final third. His importance to the side was demonstrated by his withdrawal with Barcelona in mind. (8/10)

Fernandinho: Kept things ticking over in midfield when needed. Allowed the likes of Nasri and Silva to really shine by anchoring the midfield. (7/10)

Yaya Toure: Returned to the side following his exploits at the Africa Cup of Nations and looked like he had never been away. Did not pose as much of an attacking threat as you may expect in such a rout, but helped to pull the strings from midfield. (7/10)

David Silva: Majestic. His assist for Dzeko was of the highest quality and his two second-half goals were not too shabby either. Completely ran the show and was involved in almost everything good that the hosts did. (9/10)

Attack

Edin Dzeko: A statement of intent with Bony watching on. Was the key figure in killing the game off so early - winning the penalty, setting up the second and scoring the third with a magnificent finish to match Silva's pass. Has surely done enough to retain his spot. (9/10)

Sergio Aguero: Opened the scoring with as cool a penalty as you will see all season and was a constant threat throughout. Also picked up an assist for Silva's second goal before being protected ahead of Tuesday's Champions League showdown with Barca. (8/10)

Substitutes

Jesus Navas: Replaced Silva and made one or two notable contributions, the best of which saw him hang a good cross into the middle for Dzeko. (6/10)

Wilfried Bony: Made his debut with the match already won, but would have wanted to get his own name on the scoresheet. Had a glorious chance to do just that, but was denied by Krul. (6/10)

Frank Lampard: Not the man Newcastle would have wanted to see come on at 5-0 down, but, luckily for the visitors, Lampard's 20-minute cameo was rather subdued. (6/10)

NEWCASTLE

Goal

Tim Krul: Was kept very busy, mainly picking the ball out of the back of his own net, but also making some decent stops. Could do nothing about any of City's goals, but will still be upset to have conceded five. (5/10)

Defence

Daryl Janmaat: Forced off with an injury in the second half to compound a miserable day for his side. Could not cope with City's attack at times, but was by no means the worst Newcastle offender. (5/10)

Fabricio Coloccini: Lucky not to be punished for a knee-high challenge on Aguero that failed to draw a card of any colour. Newcastle were in disarray at the back, and Coloccini as captain must take a lot of the blame for a lack of leadership. (4/10)

Mike Williamson: Like Coloccini, was shambolic at the back at times and allowed City far too much joy in the final third. (4/10)

Massadio Haidara: Had a nightmare of a match. Simply could not cope with the City attack and, while he may have expected more support, he was the weakest link in a very flimsy defence. (3/10)

Midfield

Vurnon Anita: Gave the ball away in a dangerous position and then conceded a penalty inside the opening 30 seconds. Was utterly outplayed by Silva and company before being hauled off at half time. (3/10)

Jack Colback: Powerless to resist City dominating proceedings in the middle of the park. Picked up a silly yellow card for throwing the ball away which means that he will miss the next two games through suspension. (4/10)

Yoann Gouffran: Was he playing? Anonymous throughout as Newcastle failed to get anything going in an attacking sense, and also neglected his defensive duties on more than one occasion. (4/10)

Moussa Sissoko: The brightest spark in an otherwise dismal display. Made some powerful runs forward that were more or less as threatening as Newcastle looked. The only visiting player to not let his head drop after the second goal. (6/10)

Ayoze Perez: Had very little impact on the game, but did at least continue to show spirit when his side were quite clearly beaten. (5/10)

Attack

Papiss Cisse: Came closest for Newcastle with a fine volley at the start of the second half, but was otherwise starved of service and barely mentioned. (5/10)

Substitutes

Mehdi Abeid: Replaced Anita at the interval and had more of an impact than the Dutchman. Could not prevent City from dictating things, though. (5/10)

Ryan Taylor: Came on for the injured Janmaat and almost gifted Dzeko a chance straight away, only to be saved by Krul. Disappointing deliveries from set pieces, but will probably just be happy to be playing again given his recent injury troubles. (5/10)

Gabriel Obertan: Had a short cameo at the end when the game had already been over as a contest for more than an hour. (6/10)