Sergio Aguero artistry reminds us why Premier League is the world’s most exciting football brand

It is wise to think before you speak. Or these days, before you tweet. Alan Shearer seemed to speak for large swathes of the Geordie nation at half-time of Newcastle’s trip to Manchester on Saturday, certainly those thousands shoehorned into the away end at City’s Etihad Stadium, and probably those unsuspecting sorts enjoying a Newkie Brown or five at Shearer’s Bar, a boozer bizarrely trading as Nine these days and a number by which Newcastle could easily have lost in the second half at City.

When referee Kevin Friend blew for the break in what was a fascinating joust at the time, the score was 1-1 and apparently a perfect time for Al, a record scorer of 148 goals in 303 outings for Newcastle, to speak to the world. When Shearer made his historic tweet at 4pm, little did he know that the second half was not going to be Newcastle’s friend.

“Very good first half from Newcastle,” tweeted Al with as much relish as he used to approach a penalty kick with thighs like a Clydesdale horse wearing the white and black of his beloved Magpies. Shearer never saw what was coming in Manchester as he later asked: "Not sure what happened at half-time but a different team came out in the 2nd half."

Like the renaming of Shearers bar or the Newcastle strip being plastered with the name of money lenders Wonga, few of us could have predicted what was to unfold. Most crucially, Newcastle’s haphazard defence or their manager Steven McClaren failed to see what was coming down the road. Or perhaps they were just unable to cope.

Aguero was given the kind of support by Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva that Jeremy Corbyn is enjoying within the rank-and-file of the Labour Party. Probably in parts of the world like the great North East.

The little Argentine assassin ravaged Newcastle in a way Shearer once did back to terrified defences back in his pomp. In scoring five goals, Aguero set a new record for the Premier League of five goals in only 20 minutes (for the record they came in 42, 49, 50, 60 and 62 minutes). He also joined Shearer as one of only five figures to have hit such a fabled mark.

Andrew Cole, Jermain Defoe and Dimitar Berbatov are the others, but they will be discussing Aguero’s assault on the Geordie soul years from now. The fastest is always the best. He would probably have scored six or seven if Manuel Pellegrini had refrained from swapping him for Wilfried Bony on 66 minutes.

Shearer snagged his five goals in an 8-0 rout of Sheffield Wednesday in 1999 to usher in Bobby Robson’s first day as Newcastle manager. McClaren will hope Aguero’s enchanted five does not mark the last day of a tenure at St James’ Park that is looking increasingly ropey. Newcastle scored first through Aleksandar Mitrović, but are seemingly at rock bottom. They are governed by great uncertainty in defence as they prop up the other 19 teams, but so too is the league in which they play.

In a week in which the collective strength of England’s elite set-up has been questioned abroad with Chelsea and Arsenal losing, and the Manchester two unconvincing a night later, Newcastle’s defence reminded us why English clubs struggle in Europe. It is difficult to imagine an opponent in the Champions League crumbling as tamely as the stunt Newcastle pulled off in Manchester. The poverty of their collapse could not even have been bailed out by a payday loan from Wonga.

Yet it would be wholly wrong to lament the technical deficiencies of Newcastle, who took to the field without an Englishman in their team for the first time since 30 September 2013 when they lost 3-2 to Everton.

Aguero truly is one of the world’s great forwards, whose speed of mind and body would trouble the very best as the vanquished midweek foes Borussia Moenchengladbach would testify. In the mood, he is irresistible, a sensational forward vying with Luis Saurez for the world’s third finest attacker behind your given two of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. His fifth goal was the pick of the lot, verging on some sort of exhibition finish as he set the ball off outside the post before bending it around a bamboozled Tim Krul.

Aguero’s antics were not the only joyous moments of the in the Premier League. Wilfried Zaha looked like a thoroughbred in leading West Brom a merry dance in Crystal Palace’s 2-0 win. Zaha is English, and a winger of increasing maturity. At his rate, he will surely feature at next summer's European Championship finals. Under Alan Pardew, Palace have their most memorable side in a quarter of a century, a moment in time when he was a Palace player without shinguards.

Then there was the final denouement of Southampton riding roughshod over champions Chelsea, who suddenly can’t buy a win under Jose Mourinho and have made their worst start to a season in 37 years. We should all rejoice in the finishing skills of Graziano Pelle, who burned Chelsea with a glorious third goal in an accomplished 3-1 win that illustrates a changing of the established guard in England. Give us more of this please.

These are some of the most alluring times one can remember in England’s Premier League, moments when dollops of some delicious stuff are being served up. It is exciting because it is defined by its very unpredictability. Nobody is afraid of the established order in England. TV money does not always guarantee an unbound frisson, but it is ironic that domestic bliss can be enjoyed without attaining the exalted technical excellence of the Champions League. At least not yet. That might yet come later in the season in the form of City's electrifying menace moving forward with Aguero, De Bruyne and Silva.

“Is this the best league?” asks Thierry Henry in his Sky Sport advert.

Some will continue to say no, but in a Premier League seemingly brimming with uncertainty this season, it is nice to have some constants. Like Aguero’s artistry.

While it is debatable whether the Premier League is technically the finest in the world game, for excitement there can surely be no better football product on the go to enliven the senses. And at least Alan Shearer, flanked by the other great Pele on his Twitter profile, doesn’t only tweet when he’s winning.