HISTORY-MAKER AGUERO SENDS REMINDER OF HIS WORLD-CLASS QUALITY

The Manchester City striker ran riot during a 20-minute spell to rip Newcastle to shreds, becoming the fastest player to hit five goals in Premier League history

Aguero
At full-time at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday evening, it seemed Sergio Aguero’s remarkable five-goal performance against Newcastle United could not have been any more impressive. But after the match, Manuel Pellegrini revealed the striker received treatment on his hamstring at half-time. This really was the kind of display you don’t see very often.
It had been a fairly uneventful, even disappointing, season for Aguero up until about 15:45.
The Argentina striker had helped tear Chelsea to bits as Manchester City sent an early season statement to the rest of the Premier League, but there hadn’t been much to write home about since. Everything changed here in 20 breathtaking minutes of football.
Everybody present at the Etihad was treated to an absolute masterclass. In what felt like the blink of an eyelid he had turned inside out a Newcastle United defence that had held its own for much of the first half. 
In fact, there would have been few complaints if the Magpies had gone in ahead at the break – perhaps even by a 2-0 scoreline. City had been a shambles in defence and it looked for a time like the post-match headlines would be dominated by Aguero’s compatriot, Nicolas Otamendi, who toiled for the opening 45 minutes.
But those concerns will have to wait for another day because Aguero will be the toast of European football tonight. Between the 42nd and the 62nd minute, he ripped the visiting defence apart with a fantastic display of finishing. It seemed to happen so quickly, but you can bet that the striker was the coolest man in the ground as he run through the gambit of No.9 goals.
There was nothing too remarkable about his first, but he was in exactly the right place at the right time to head in a vital equaliser. 
David Silva, who himself excelled in the same timeframe but will understandably not get the same recognition, picked his team-mate out four minutes after the restart for him to grab his second via a deflected strike from just outside the box.
His third, immediately afterwards, was a perfect lofted finish as Krul came scrambling off his line. The Dutch keeper came hurtling out but Aguero kept his poise to clip in his hat-trick. Those three came within eight playing minutes, an incredible feat in itself, but he was not done.
After Kevin De Bruyne, who had slid in Aguero for the third, looped in a delicate volley to make it 4-1 just three minutes later, the Argentine hotshot was back in the goals again. Fronted up by Chancel Mbemba, he shifted the ball onto his right foot, leaving the defender rooted, and curled home a delicious finish. 
To complete what may well be a once-in-a-lifetime afternoon, he slid in at the back post to poke in another fine De Bruyne pass.
He could have ended the afternoon with double figures but Manuel Pellegrini, perhaps out of sympathy for Newcastle, or even for the goalless Wilfried Bony, decided to take his hitman off with 24 minutes to go.
Aguero walked from the pitch to a standing ovation, with cries of “Sergio, Sergio” ringing around an electrified Etihad. 
City took their foot off the gas from that point, with the brilliant Aguero having decimated Newcastle. 
When Robert Lewandowski blitzed Wolfsburg by scoring five goals in nine minutes on September 22, many crowned him the best No.9 in the world game.
Aguero’s claim for this title has often faltered due to his inability to retain fitness. 
Manuel Pellegrini, in his understated manner, refused to be drawn on where the Argentine lies in terms of his individual abilities in the world and domestic scene, but did say his performances speak for themselves.
“He demonstrates every year what he can do,” the manager said. “Last year he was the top scorer, two years ago he decided the title in three minutes.”
Following last year’s World Cup, Aguero and Lionel Messi adopted a meat-free diet designed to boost their performance. An Argentine giving up meat is quite a statement in itself, and it highlights his commitment to improvement.
With Messi, ironically, now injured, he has the chance to show what he can do for Argentina in their upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
The consistency that sets Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo apart at the very peak of the game, however, has been lacking. Nevertheless, on his day, Aguero must be regarded as one of the finest footballers on the planet.
This was a marvellous performance and one that will never be forgotten – there’s almost no chance anybody will score five goals quicker in the Premier League. 
Aguero was simply brilliant on Saturday and fans should relish performances, and players, like this whenever they get the opportunity. This doesn’t happen very often.