Manchester City are one more win from their first league title since 1968 and entitled to think their coronation as champions is now just a week away.
Roberto Mancini's team still have to beat QPR, who will be fighting against relegation, but the league leaders are entitled to think they have done the really hard work now.
They wore down Newcastle with their sheer persistence and, on the balance of play, there could be no disputing they deserved this win, secured by Yaya Touré's double and resulting in some ecstatic scenes at the final whistle.
Touré has scored some crucial goals for City over the last year, including the winner in last season's FA Cup final, but none have carried the significance of this moment.
His timing was impeccable, too, because when he opened the scoring, with 20 minutes to go, the game was just about reaching the stage when City's position at the top of the Premier League was starting to look vulnerable. They had controlled great swathes of the match but their domination of the ball had been repelled by a Newcastle side who defended with great diligence and sporadically threatened themselves.
Yet this is the modern-day City, not the team of old who would crumple under pressure. Never did they start panicking, or rushing what comes naturally.
Touré's first goal was a beauty, advancing through midfield, exchanging passes with Sergio Agüero and then curling his shot exquisitely past Tim Krul.
Newcastle had no option but to play the final exchanges with greater adventure and, in doing so, they left City more space to exploit. Touré had already run clear only to be denied by Krul by the time, after 89 minutes, when Gaël Clichy found him inside the penalty area.
Once again, the Ivorian demonstrated his ability to leave his mark indelibly on the big occasions. His left-footed finish was still rising as it hit the net and, after that, City could celebrate for real. Read More
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