Playing the team with the best defensive record in the league? No problem for Manchester City – just rest the top goalscorer and the most creative player.

It is a measure of the faith which Roberto Mancini has in his squad, and his own appreciation of the tough weeks ahead, that he was willing to leave David Silva out of a match which saw the two remaining unbeaten Premier League teams face each other.

And it is a vindication of that faith that the eleven he put out on the park set about their task with confidence and a certain air of inevitability.

Of course, the heart sinks when Silva isn’t playing.

Those who have paid good money to see this magnificent Blues side play must feel at least a little cheated, while fully recognising the wisdom of what Mancini is doing.

Even cynical old hacks in the press box get a little deflated if they are not going to see Silva do his thing. When you are in the presence of genius, you don’t want it sitting on the bench.

But Mancini has a strategy to think about, not the cravings of a stadium which has gorged on Silva’s brilliance all season.

At first, it appeared Silva would be missed. But ‘at first’ is a phrase with which Blues fans have learned to have patience.

The first half-hour of games have almost become an irrelevance when City are involved.

Of the staggering 57 goals the Blues have already scored this season – if you include the Community Shield – only nine have come in the first 30 minutes.

It is almost worth staying in the bar for an extra pint, in the sure knowledge that the action will just start to heat up when you get there.

Vital

But that would also be missing the point. Because to fully appreciate how good this team is, that half-hour is vital.

That is when sprightly, optimistic teams like Newcastle are sorted. They are physically shredded and their spirit is eroded by the simple possession game which Mancini has drilled into his team on the training ground.

We all saw the evolution of that game last season, and some called it boring and defensive.

But Mancini knew all along that once Silva had blossomed, Edin Dzeko and Mario Balotelli had found their English feet, and the panache and pace of Samir Nasri and Sergio Aguero were mixed in, the recipe would be complete.

But it is Yaya Toure who plays more minutes than anyone, and we explicitly saw why in this game.

Starting the game in a holding position alongside Gareth Barry, he gradually exerts an influence, often subtle, sometimes everything but.

He also has moments of sloppiness and carelessness which frustrate a crowd now used to economy and precision, but it is a price that has to be paid for his sublime moments.

Once he began to haul that impossibly big frame forwards, and slip a pass here, rake another one there, Newcastle were in trouble.

Silva is the genius in this team, the crowd-pleasing superstar. But in many ways, Yaya is its heart-beat.

Journalists taking note of the highlights of a City game can glance down the scrawl on their pages and see the word “Yaya” repeated time after time.

Yaya ball in to Aguero, turns and shoots just over. Yaya great ball for Milner, cross for Balotelli, header saved. Yaya picks out Richards, cross blocked.

So it goes on, and for every big thing the Ivorian does, there are a dozen little things.

And with James Milner again showing why he is a first choice these days with another tireless and supremely effective performance, the Blues were in good shape.

There were a few scares though, with Joe Hart making a great save from Demba Ba with the game scoreless, and his defence in disarray.

Spirit

But on 40 minutes, as Newcastle’s muscles and spirit were starting to sag, that name popped up on the page again.

City’s pressure had begun to build inexorably, with Gael Clichy and Micah Richards – both fresh from their baffling exclusions from their national sides – ripping chunks out of the Toon flanks.

It was a Clichy raid that forced the breakthrough, his cross to Aguero finally cannoning off a defender, and Yaya’s volley hitting Ryan Taylor on an outstretched hand.

Balotelli stepped forward, and Newcastle keeper Tim Krul tried to put him off by kicking the ball off the spot.

The response was predictable. A hesitation in the run-up to repay Krul, who was perplexed as the shot trundled past him, and a glower from the young Italian, his arms folded.

He rubs some up the wrong way, but the Premier League would be a duller place without Balotelli, both for his ability and his eccentricities.

Once they have the lead, City are usually unstoppable,  shifting into a higher gear and accelerating away from teams.

They did it again here. The passing became crisper and more incisive, and holes appeared in the visitors’ defence, which had not previously been examined like this.

Aguero’s pass was not quite so good, finding Ryan Taylor, but the unfortunate defender dawdled for a second and Richards pounced to rob him and despatch his shot all in one movement.

The rest was just detail.

It was not vintage, but with big games coming up at Napoli tomorrow and Liverpool on Sunday, the Blues need to keep something in reserve.

Silva came on, and immediately lit up the game with another of those delicious little reverse passes which are becoming a signature. He played in the rampaging Richards, who was fouled from by Hatem Ben Arfa.

With Balotelli off the field, Aguero stepped forward this time and dutifully tucked away the spot kick with a minimum of fuss.

There was still time for City to concede a goal which means that – as well as having the best goalscoring record in the league – they only share the best defensive record with Newcastle.

There were a few moments of slackness in the defence, and one of them let in Ba.

Hart did his best, getting a touch on the striker’s shot, but Dan Gosling darted in to snap up the rebound.

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