Birthday boy Raheem Sterling enjoys his ‘special’ night for Manchester City

Manchester City 4 Borussia Monchengladbach 2: They did it the hard way but thanks to a memorable 21st-birthday for Raheem Sterling, Manchester City finally topped a Champions League group to enhance their prospects of going all the way in the Champions League.

Defeat for Juventus at Seville in their final Group D game opened the door for City to finish as group winners and gain a potentially easier passage into the quarter-finals when the draw for the last 16 of the competition is made next Monday.

Having qualified in second spot for the past two seasons and subsequently gone out at the hands of Barcelona, Manuel Pellegrini’s side needed to do everything possible to avoid a repeat.