A SERGIO AGUERO hat-trick ensured Newcastle United remain just two points above the relegation zone after they suffered a 3-1 defeat to Premier League leaders Manchester City.

Aguero has now scored 14 goals in his 12 appearances against the Magpies, and his finishing skills meant a spirited rear-guard action counted for nothing as Rafael Benitez’s side slumped to their second defeat to City in the space of a month.

The Argentinian striker opened the scoring with a first-half header from Kevin de Bruyne’s cross, and added a second goal from the penalty spot after Javier Manquillo fouled Raheem Sterling.

Jacob Murphy’s breakaway goal briefly gave Newcastle some hope, but Aguero completed his hat-trick as he side-footed home from close range following a moment of individual brilliance from Leroy Sane.

The result leaves City 12 points clear of second-placed Manchester United, and means Newcastle will only be out of the bottom three on goal difference if Southampton beat Tottenham at St Mary’s tomorrow.

Having adopted an ultra-defensive approach in last month’s home defeat to Manchester City, it was no surprise to see Benitez packing his side’s defence at the Etihad.

The Newcastle manager lined his team up in a 5-4-1 formation, with Isaac Hayden slotting into the heart of the defence alongside Jamaal Lascelles and Ciaran Clark.

Manquillo replaced the more attack-minded DeAndre Yedlin at right wing-back, but it was actually Newcastle that created the game’s first half-chance in the second minute, with Clark scuffing a shot at Ederson after a cross fell into his path.

From that point on, however, it was one-way traffic. Manchester City enjoyed 81 per cent of the possession in the opening 25 minutes, and while they initially failed to test Karl Darlow, it felt like a matter of time before the hosts made a breakthrough.

They created their first opportunity in the seventh minute, but John Stones guided a side-footed shot wide of the post after David Silva cut the ball back from the byline.

Leroy Sane dragged a shot wide after cutting in from the left, and while Sterling had the ball in the net in the 18th minute, his side-footed effort from Silva’s cross was ruled out for offside.

Darlow was first called into action in the 32nd minute, saving Sterling’s shot from inside the area, and the Newcastle goalkeeper was finally beaten two minutes later as City’s attacking players continued to swarm all over their opponents.

When it arrived, the goal was actually a simple one, with de Bruyne swinging over a cross from the left and Aguero stealing ahead of Clark to glance the faintest of headers into the far corner.

The pair combined again five minutes before the interval, but this time Darlow got down well to turn de Bruyne’s shot around the post after the Belgian had been teed up by Aguero.

Aguero was the most influential figure in the closing stages of the first half, and he threatened again on the stroke of half-time, driving across the area after a one-two with Sterling and firing in a shot that was well blocked by Paul Dummett.

Dummett produced a resilient performance on the left-hand side of the Newcastle defence, but the second half followed exactly the same pattern as the first, with City mounting a succession of attacks.

Again, Newcastle’s defence initially did a good job of repelling them, but the hosts deservedly doubled their lead in the 63rd minute.

The goal came from the penalty spot, with Aguero drilling home his spot-kick after Manquillo bundled over Sterling as the England international darted towards the byline.

Manquillo was substituted shortly after, replaced by DeAndre Yedlin, and Benitez also brought on Ayoze Perez for Christian Atsu in an attempt to get his side back into the game. Remarkably, within four minutes of conceding Aguero’s second, Newcastle were celebrating a goal of their own.

Dummett won possession in his own half, and pouncing on a loose ball, Clark swept a superb ball forward to release Murphy behind the City defence. The winger had a lot of time to think about things as he bore down on Ederson, but he held his nerve superbly to chip the advancing goalkeeper and claim his first goal for the Magpies.

Suddenly, Newcastle were back in the game, although they would have found themselves two goals behind again had Darlow not produced a superb save four minutes after Murphy’s strike.

Sterling thought he had scored when he met Sane’s low cross with a first-time strike, but Darlow got down to produce an excellent left-handed save as he turned the ball against the base of his left-hand post.

The stop meant Newcastle still had a chance of pulling off an unlikely comeback, and they came close to what would have been an unlikely equaliser with 18 minutes left. Mo Diame surged into space in the area, but his shot was saved by Ederson. Perez drilled in a follow-up effort, but his shot cannoned into Stones.

City came close to a third goal moments later, with de Bruyne rolling a side-footed shot just past the post, but just as they had in the reverse fixture at St James’, Newcastle went into the final ten minutes still harbouring realistic hopes of getting something out of the game.

However, those hopes disappeared with seven minutes left as Aguero claimed his hat-trick. The goal owed much to the brilliance of Sane, with the German dancing past two defenders in the penalty area before pulling the ball back to enable Aguero to sweep home a shot and claim the match ball.

Man City (4-3-3): Ederson; Walker, Stones, Otamendi, Zinchenko; D Silva, Fernandinho, de Bruyne; Sterling (B Silva 86), Aguero, Sane (Diaz 87).

Subs (not used): Bravo (gk), Danilo, Adarabioyo, Mangala, Gundogan.

Newcastle (5-4-1): Darlow; Manquillo (Yedlin 66), Hayden, Lascelles, Clark, Dummett; Murphy, Shelvey, Diame, Atsu (Perez 64); Joselu (Gayle 76).

Subs (not used): Elliot (gk), Haidara, Merino, Ritchie.