After a morale-boosting victory away at Stoke in their last outing almost a fortnight ago, a home game against Newcastle would be just the fixture the defending Premier League champions could have hoped for.
City had won ten consecutive Premier League matches against The Magpies and they managed to stretch that run to 11. A second-half brace from David Silva and further goals from Sergio Aguero, Edin Dzeko and Samir Nasri saw The Citzens close the gap at the top of the table to just five points; following Chelsea dropping two points at home against Burnley.
Here's 5 Things we learned from Saturday evening's game:
1. Yaya Touré's importance to City cannot be stated enough
When Yaya played his last game for The Citzens at home to Sunderland on New Year's Day - the defending champions clawed back an eight-point lead that was held by Chelsea since November.
Since then however, Touré departed for the African Cup of Nations and City's form took a massive dip - only recording one victory in five league games; a mere six points out of the 15 available to them whilst the Ivorian powerhouse was away on international duty. Toure has been instrumental in so much of City's recent success - a vital part of the Citzen's midfield. Time and time again proving his worth, the 31-year-old's goal-scoring exploits have contributed massively in helping Pellegrini's men to land their second Premier League title in three years.
Although Touré may have not hit the heights of last season thus far in the 2014-15 campaign, he picked up form before his international departure - his performance against Newcastle allowed Nasri and Silva the freedom to create chances at will in the attacking side of midfield.
2. David Silva's hitting form could prove vital in an important few weeks for City
David Silva has proved to be a real thorn in Newcastle's side with the Spaniard scoring four goals in his last three games against The Geordies. Not only did Silva score twice, but he also provided a magnficent assist for Edin Dzeko that saw City race into a three goal lead. The Spaniard was instrumental in this convincing victory for the champions with Silva pulling the strings in midfield throughout the course of the evening.
The fluency and tempo came back into City's play; something that hasn't been present too many times at the Etihad this season with Silva in this kind of form and Samir Nasri looking reinvigorated after his return from injury, Pellegrini's men will be looking to eradicate their inconsistent home form to challenge Chelsea for Premier League glory.
3. A clean sheet has come at the perfect time for City
More often than not, Pellegrini's men have looked vulnerable at the back especially on the counter and with Eliaquim Mangala finding his feet, Pablo Zabaleta out of form and Vincent Kompany trying to find his match fitness, City's defence have looked out of place for the large part of this season. As a result of this, The Citzens haven't been able to keep many clean sheets - Pellegrini's men have only kept 8 clean sheets in 26 games.
The clean sheet recorded against John Carver's men seems to have come at the ideal time with a massive UEFA Champions League tie coming up in midweek. It will be a big ask considering the step up in quality of opposition however, if City can get back-to-back clean sheets there should be cause for optimism ahead of another tough set of fixtures; starting with Liverpool away next Sunday.
4. Man City's depth in attack could prove to be key in the title race
With Sergio Aguero fit and back in-form, the arrival of Wilfried Bony and now a motivated Edin Dzeko who yesterday proved that he's more than willing to fight for his place, City's attack seems to be taking shape. After playing a busy festive period without virtually any strikers, Manuel Pellegrini shouldn't face such problems in the title run in.
City's title rivals Chelsea on the other hand are reliant on Diego Costa who is known to pick up a suspension or two. In his absence, the Chelsea attack simply has not looked as convincing without the Spanish forward; Loic Remy and Didier Drogba are not entirely convincing enough to spearhead the Blues' attack. The strength in depth in the City forward line could well prove to be a decisive factor in deciding the destination of the title this year.
5. City must go back to playing one upfront in midweek
Despite yesterday's impressive victory, the quality must be taken into consideration and it must be noted City's midfield has looked thread bare in Europe. When they've come up against the best opposition, they have struggled - their two central midfielders being constantly over-run.
After playing three in the middle of the park, they managed to pick up wins against Bayern Munich and AS Roma. Pellegrini should stick to what has worked so well instead of risking it in a big first leg at home against Barca.
There is still a second leg to come at the Nou Camp after Tuesday night; a solid performance and containment of Barcelona would set them up nicely ahead of their trip to the La Liga giants in three weeks' time, although it is of course easier said than done.