Steve McClaren brands Man City 'the best in the league' after 6-1 defeat

Steve McClaren branded Manchester City "the best team in the Premier League" after they beat his Newcastle side 6-1 on Saturday.

Sergio Aguero scored five times in 23 minutes either side of half-time after Newcastle had gone 1-0 up at the Etihad, leaving McClaren without a win in the Premier League still.

But the former England manager, who has just three points from his eight games so far, says their first-half performance was excellent.

He told Sky Sports: "It was the Aguero storm. It never looked like it in the first half. We came here to win, set up with a 4-4-2, very attack-minded, created opportunities and scored the first goal.

"We had opportunities for a second one, but the goal just before half-time woke them up. Then it was a whirlwind 13 minutes and we lost the game in those 13 minutes. 

"This is the best team in the Premier League. They've got a front four who can score at any opportunity. Every week they can score six or seven goals.

"We made mistakes and got punished by world class players."

Newcastle are now bottom of the Premier League on goal difference, below Sunderland, and face Norwich at home in a fortnight before a trip to their north-east rivals.

McClaren is looking for a reaction from his players after the international break, and says there have been some encouraging signs.

He said: "I've had it before, and the key is recovery and reaction from that. And over the last two weeks, against Chelsea and City here, the performances, especially in the first half, have been excellent. 

"There's a lot to work on but there's a lot of encouraging things. When you look at the score it's a little bit harsher than we deserved."