In the run up to this FA Cup tie, Pep Guardiola and his men acknowledged Newport County's strengths and made sure not to underestimate the League Two side ahead of their visit to Rodney Parade.
For that reason, the City manager put out a strong starting line-up in order to try and do as much damage as possible. We saw the likes of Leroy Sane, David Silva and Riyad Mahrez start, while Raheem Sterling and Kevin de Bruyne observed from the bench. Youngster Phil Foden also got some game time under his belt as he made a start for City.
The first-half was a display of missed chances for both teams, with Newport County claiming the first clear chance of the game which would have put them ahead after 13 minutes. Newport are known for their long throw-ins, one of which set up Jamille Matt to head it goalwards. His effort would have put his side ahead, had it not been for the flying hand of Ederson, keeping City in the game and keeping the scoreline level.
Man City had chances of their own through the likes of Fernandinho who saw a couple of his long distance attempts fly over the crossbar. Leroy Sane had City's most promising chance of the game as he fired the ball goalwards from the left but the angle was too tight and he could not find the target.
Minutes before the break, Leroy Sane found himself in front of goal yet again but his effort was crucially blocked by Mark O'Brien. Guardiola's men could have claimed for a penalty as the ball seemed to strike the arm of the Newport defender, but at such short range, any appeals would have likely been dismissed.
After a goal-less first half, it didn't take Man City long to draw first blood in the FA Cup tie. Leroy Sane's left foot struck again to take the lead for the visiting side, despite Joe Day making a block at the expense of his nose. From this point forward, it was up to Newport to keep City at bay who built chance after chance for around 25 minutes.
City's second came in the 74th minute as youngster Phil Foden showed his worth with a fabulous shot, having worked his way through the defence from midfield. City swiflty made two substitutions, bringing Gundogan and Laporte into the mix to try and see the game out.
All hope was not lost for Newport County as a City central defensive error allowed Padraig Amond to chip the ball over Ederson who had come off his line. However, the excitement among the home fans lasted only a matter of seconds as Foden worked his magic again to net City's third in the 89th minute.
It seemed like that would be it goal-wise but Riyad Mahrez, who had been out of favour with Pep Guardiola until this game, fancied a slice of the action late on and fired home a fourth for Manchester City seconds before the final whistle.
As expected, City advance to the next round of the FA Cup, sending Newport County off in style.