Sevilla 1-3 Man City: Clinical first-half performance sees Citizens seal Champions League qualification
An impressive European performance saw Man City qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League with a 3-1 victory in Sevilla.
Raheem Sterling and Fernando put City two up inside 11 minutes, with just three minutes separating their strikes.
City fans may have been thinking ‘here we go again’ as Unai Emery’s men pulled one back through Benoit Termoulinas, but the visitors soon reasserted their dominance when Wilfried Bony scored his first goal in the Champions League.
A professional second-half performance from City saw them hold onto the three points, to cap off a fine showing at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium, as they booked their place in the next stage of the competition with two games to spare.
Manuel Pellegrini took charge of his 60th Champions League match as manager and he made two changes from their weekend win against Norwich.
Fernando and Raheem Sterling came into the side to replace Kevin De Bruyne and Kelechi Iheanacho respectively, while Jesus Navas started on his return to his boyhood club, where he played for ten years before moving to the Etihad.
The Premier League side started on the front foot in an end-to-end contest, with Sterling putting the visitors ahead inside eight minutes. Fernandinho, who started promisingly, slid a diagonal ball across the penalty box to £49million star Sterling, who coolly finished with his weaker left foot when he shot across the face of goal.
Aleksandr Kolarov nearly netted when he fired low at the near post, following good link-up play with Sterling, before Fernando headed home City’s second.
With 11 minutes on the clock, goalkeeper Sergio Rico parried Bony’s shot after good work on the right by England international Sterling, and Fernando headed home into an open goal to add further to City’s rapid start.
Former Sevilla man Navas nearly added a third within minutes, as he twisted and turned into the box before shooting across goal, rattling the post.
It looked all too familiar when the Citizens conceded, Termoulinas completing a good team move by the home side, which saw Hart beaten by the cross and the French defender could head into an empty net.
Pellegrini’s men soon restored their two-goal advantage when Bony struck nine minutes before the break. Starting with Hart’s goal-kick, the ball made its way to Spaniard Navas, who beat his marker before cutting the ball back for the Ivorian, who struck the ball first time to knock the wind out of Sevilla’s sails.
Less than ten minutes into the second half, City could have had four, as Sterling carved out another dangerous chance, cutting the ball back from Fernandinho. The Brazilian midfielder’s first-time strike was powerful but straight at Sevilla’s Rico.
The home side continued to search for a second, but City defended well, and Yaya Toure dropped a shoulder at the other end before curling a shot round his marker, but it just beat the post.
Ciro Immobile, on loan from Borussia Dortmund, sliced a shot wide after coming inside from the left, but City continued to stay strong to reward a strong travelling contingent.
Elsewhere in Group D, Juventus were held in Germany, against Borussia Monchengladbach.