English Premier League: Manchester City crush Stoke City

London: Teenager Kelechi Iheanacho scored twice as Manchester City tuned up for their Champions League semifinal with Real Madrid by sinking Stoke City 4-0 in the Premier League on Saturday.

Iheanacho, 19, struck twice within 10 second-half minutes, adding to goals by Fernando and Sergio Aguero, to lift City, who host Madrid in the first leg of their last-four tie on Tuesday, back above Arsenal to third place.

Elsewhere, Rafael Benitez’s Newcastle United came from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 at his former club Liverpool — whose French centre-back Mamadou Sakho has failed a drugs test -- to inch to within a point of safety.

With an eye on Madrid’s visit, Pellegrini kept Belgian playmaker Kevin De Bruyne on the bench at the Etihad Stadium and rested captain Vincent Kompany altogether.

Fernando broke the deadlock with a header from Jesus Navas’s 35th-minute corner and top scorer Aguero added a second from the penalty spot after Ryan Shawcross had fouled Iheanacho.

Pablo Zabaleta teed up Iheanacho to slot in City’s third goal in the 64th minute and the Nigeria international sealed the win by gathering Wilfried Bony’s pass and rounding substitute goalkeeper Jakob Haugaard to score.

City move back above Arsenal, who visit struggling Sunderland on Sunday, while Mark Hughes’s Stoke, who have conceded four goals in three successive games, slip to 10th.

At Anfield, Daniel Sturridge chested down a high ball and swivelled to fire Jurgen Klopp’s side in front inside two minutes, with his England colleague Adam Lallana bending in Liverpool’s second goal on the half-hour. But Papiss Cisse brought the visitors back into the game with a 48th-minute header before Jack Colback drove in a deflected 66th-minute leveller to take Newcastle to a draw.
Eden Hazard, last year’s Player of the Season, scored his first two league goals of the campaign — a year since his last — as outgoing champions Chelsea won 4-1 at Bournemouth to climb to the ninth spot on the Premier League table.