Manchester City travelled to Sevilla knowing that the right set of results could secure them qualification for the Champions League last 16 tonight. They could not have wished for a better start!
Raheem Sterling gave the Premier League leaders an eight-minute lead following a through ball from Fernandinho, who put City in dreamland three minutes later with this smartly-taken header.
Watch more brilliant snippets like this with fanatix’s FREE sports video news app.
Manuel Pellegrini’s tactics have previously been blamed for City’s European struggles – as ESPN reports – but he got it spot on early doors at Sevilla’s Estadio Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan fortress.
The Chilean went with a three-man midfield – Fernando sitting and Yaya Toure and Fernandinho in front of him – allowing the goalscorer the freedom to get forward which he did to great affect.
City’s flying start nearly got even better when ex-Sevilla winger Jesus Navas hit the post, but they were brought back down to earth slightly when Benoit Tremoulinas finished a fine team move to make it 2-1.
Victory for the Citizens would send them through if there is not a winner between Juventus and Borussia Monchengladbach in Germany. But there may be plenty of twists left in this evening’s Group D action!
SEE MORE:
Indian Liverpool starlet misses two penalties in bad-tempered U18s draw with Wolves (video)
Premier League referee celebrates Tottenham Hotspur goal, angering Arsenal fans (video)
Jose Mourinho says he knows why Chelsea have been awful this season (video)
COMMENTS