Manchester City 3-1 Newcastle: 5 Talking Points

#2 Relegation battle in sight for Newcastle

Down in the dumps

After an impressive run of results that saw Newcastle begin a slow, but steady ascent up the Premier League table, last night's defeat against the league leaders will have an impactful influence on what remains of Newcastle's season.

The Magpies started the season spectacularly, hanging around the top half of the table for several weeks. However, things soon began to go wrong for them, and they subsequently found themselves languishing in 18th place - Not somewhere you want to be. Especially if you've only just been promoted.

2 wins, 2 draws, and 2 losses (yep, both were against City) in their last 6 Premier League games have anchored them at 15th place on the table.

But, with just 11 points separating 9th place from the 20th, and more specifically, just 7 points separating 9th place from the relegation zone, one can undeniably expect an intense rat-race to unfold in the lower half of the table over the next few months.

Unfortunately, for Rafael Benitez and Newcastle, they find themselves smack dab in the middle of it.