Newcastle produced a rampant first half display in their penultimate pre-season outing as they thrashed La Liga side Girona 4-0 on Friday.
The Magpies blitzed their opponents in the opening 45 minutes, with Sean Longstaff, Jacob Murphy and Anthony Gordon giving the hosts a 3-0 lead after just 15 minutes.
Longstaff notched his brace before the interval to secure the Magpies' first win in their two pre-season fixtures taking place at St. James' Park this weekend.
In a frantic start to proceedings, Longstaff opened the scoring in the third minute, with Murphy adding Newcastle's second with a fierce strike off the crossbar.
A mistake by David Lopez allowed Alexander Isak to pick out Gordon two minutes later, composing himself before sending a left-footed strike into the far corner.
Isak had the chance to increase the hosts' advantage in the 21st minute after being brought down in the box, but saw his penalty saved by Paulo Gazzaniga.
The first half rout was complete after Joelinton saw his headed effort hit the crossbar, only for the rebound to be volleyed home by Longstaff.
Murphy and Isak squandered opportunities to increase their advantage in the second half, but the damage was done in the first 45 against the La Liga side.
Newcastle conclude their pre-season preparations against French side Brest on Saturday ahead of their Premier League opener against Southampton next weekend.
Data Debrief: Magpies on fire, but should have been more
Newcastle would have been expecting a tougher test from a side who will play Champions League football next season, and should have won by a more handsome scoreline.
The Magpies recorded an expected goals (xG) of 3.24, an underperformance of 0.76, with 11 of their 20 shots on target, while also missing four big chances.
Ederson commits to Man City stay after Guardiola talks
Ederson has confirmed he will stay at Manchester City for the upcoming season amid interest from Saudi Arabia, having held productive talks with boss Pep Guardiola.
Ederson has become a fan favourite at the Etihad Stadium since arriving from Benfica in 2017, winning six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, four EFL Cups and the Champions League.
However, the Brazil shot-stopper has seen his future called into question throughout the off-season, with Al-Ittihad and Al-Hilal both linked with a big-money move for him.
Ederson said last month he had yet to make a decision on his future, but that has changed after talks with Guardiola and others in the City hierarchy.
The 30-year-old has now committed his future to the club, telling ESPN Brazil after Saturday's Community Shield win over Manchester United: "The decision has been made.
"I will stay at Manchester City this season. I spoke to Pep and it was crucial.
"I'm happy to stay, fully focused on winning more titles here. I also spoke to the board, the directors, my team-mates and I'm staying."
Ederson saved a spot-kick from Jadon Sancho as City beat United on penalties at Wembley on Saturday, with Jonny Evans sending his kick over the bar before Manuel Akanji won it for City.
He also stepped up to convert City's fifth kick when a miss would have handed United victory, leading Guardiola to describe him as the club's joint-best penalty taker alongside Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne.
Ederson has kept 112 clean sheets in 250 Premier League appearances for City, placing him joint-seventh in the competition's all-time charts for shutouts, alongside Peter Schmeichel.
Petr Cech (162), David de Gea (147), David Seaman (137), Pepe Reina (134), Hugo Lloris (127) and Tim Howard (116) are the only goalkeepers with more.
Ten Hag retains faith in Sancho after Community Shield penalty miss
Jadon Sancho retains the faith of Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag despite his penalty miss in Saturday's Community Shield defeat to Manchester City.
United were on course to win their third piece of silverware under Ten Hag when Alejandro Garnacho gave them an 82nd-minute lead at Wembley Stadium.
However, Bernardo Silva's 89th-minute header took the game to penalties, and both Sancho and Jonny Evans failed to convert from the spot as City triumphed 7-6.
Sancho spent the second half of last season on loan at former club Borussia Dortmund after a public falling out with Ten Hag, who accused the winger of being a poor trainer in the aftermath of a defeat to Arsenal last September.
Ten Hag said he had drawn a line under the incident after Sancho rejoined the United squad for pre-season training last month, and Saturday's penalty – which was pushed onto the post by Ederson – will not impact his thinking.
"I had no doubts about him," Ten Hag said of Sancho after Saturday's game.
"He's a very good penalty taker and today he missed, but that's part of the game. I am sure in the future he will take penalties."
United have now been Community Shield runners-up on 10 occasions, more than any other club.
The Red Devils last won the trophy under Jose Mourinho in 2016, beating then-Premier League champions Leicester City 2-1 with goals from Jesse Lingard and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Emma Hayes in dreamland after coaching USA to Olympic gold
Emma Hayes thanked her late father for helping her achieve her "dream" after coaching the United States to Olympic gold at Paris 2024.
USA defeated Brazil 1-0 in Saturday's final at the Parc des Princes through Mallory Swanson's goal just before the hour mark.
Hayes only took over as USWNT head coach in May, after leaving her role at Chelsea, and tasted success in her first tournament in charge.
Speaking to Discovery+ at full-time as the celebrations started, Hayes said: "I'm very emotional. It's been a dream of mine.
"I have to thank my dad - he's the one who pushed me to this position, to be able to come and coach an unbelievable group of players."
Hayes' father, who she has long described as a cornerstone in her football career, passed away last year.
"I've got my dad's necklace on," Hayes said post-match. "It's got an American eagle, and he was with me today and that helped.
"The crowd were tremendous. Brazil were tremendous. I'm just speechless. I'm in shock."
The United States have now won five Olympic golds in the women's final - four more than any other nation - with this their first since 2012.
Swanson calmly converted to give USA the victory in the French capital on her landmark 100th senior appearance for her national side.
This latest triumph comes 10 games into Hayes' tenure and puts the poor showings at the 2020 Games and 2023 World Cup in the past.
"They have received me so well and taken on board everything I've asked," Hayes added. "They're tremendous people, players and role models and I love them."
Brazil have still yet to win an Olympic gold in the tournament, with this their third runners-up finish after also falling just short in 2004 and 2008.
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