If one was even needed about the gap boss Eddie Howe’s side have to bridge on Manchester City.
Newcastle had taken the lead against the much-changed visitors at a buoyant St James’ Park.
They went into half-time level, with the chance to regroup after Savinho equalised in this FA Cup fifth-round tie.
But Newcastle soon found themselves 3-1 down after chief tormentor Omar Marmoush haunted them once again.
“That was a tough learning lesson for us in that second half,” Howe said afterwards. “We just didn’t have the strength to make a dent in them.”
Manchester City have now ended Newcastle‘s dream of returning to Wembley in both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup.
Manager Pep Guardiola’s side have become the first team to ever beat Newcastle four times in a single season.
The only relief for Newcastle is that they cannot face City again this season – unless they both reach the Champions League final.
Newcastle hope to one day compete with teams like Manchester City for such heavyweight trophies.
CEO David Hopkinson even boldly stated his vision was “to be in the debate about being the top club in the world” by 2030.
But such talk feels jarring at the moment.
“There’s no excuses today,” defender Kieran Trippier told TNT Sports. “We got beat by the better team.”
