Manchester City win nine-goal thriller but perfectionist Pep Guardiola sees room to improve
Manchester City's Riyad Mahrez speaks with manager Pep Guardiola on the touchline at the Etihad Stadium. Picture: Martin Rickett/PA
SLOWLY, Manchester City are clicking through the gears in the new season and if the sight of Kevin De Bruyne striding around their midfield did not strike fear into the hearts of their rivals, it was certainly needed as Pep Guardiola’s team made hard work of their Champions League opening group win.
Guardiola’s sub-strength defence conceded a hat-trick to Leipzig forward Christopher Nkunku although there never seemed any real danger of anything other than the victory that welcomed City’s Belgian back into the fold.
De Bruyne, whose sum total contribution to City’s season to date had amounted to 11 minutes as a substitute in the opening day defeat to Tottenham, wasted little time in reminding his supporters about his prodigious talent.
After 28 minutes, De Bruyne dipped his shoulder, produced a little burst of pace and skilful swerve to weave between two defenders and send over a lethal cross towards Leipzig’s far post.
Defender Nordi Mukiele succeeded only in losing his bearings and, in attempting to put the ball out of play, send it back across his keeper and into his own goal.
It showed the degree to which the visiting defence had been tortured by a four-man midfield that featured De Bruyne, Riyad Mahrez, Bernardo Silva, and Champions League debutant Jack Grealish.
The former Villa man had set up City’s first goal, after 16 minutes, from a corner, delivered unerringly into the six-yard area where Nathan Ake powered over two markers and headed past a forlorn Peter Gulacsi into the Leipzig goal.
Certainly, this is a midfield - with Phil Foden, Ilkay Gundogan, and Raheem Sterling coming off the bench in the second half - that will be the envy of Europe although in defence it was another matter as the first half drew to a close.
With Aymeric Laporte and John Stones carrying slight injuries, Ake was left to partner Ruben Dias in the heart of a City defence that looked susceptible and three minutes before the break Leipzig halved their deficit when Emil Forsberg chipped to the far post, Mukiele headed back across goal and Nkunku finished confidently.
If it was a worrying development, and a rare lapse from a defence that has not conceded since the opening day of the season, there would be no denying Guardiola his 219th win as City manager in his 300th game in charge.
On the stroke of half-time, a Ferran Torres header struck the outstretched upper arm of Lukas Klostermann and, on VAR’s recommendation, the Dutch referee consulted the pitchside monitor and awarded a penalty which Mahrez battered home convincingly, left-footed.
It would ensure that the Blues an 18th successive unbeaten Champions League group games, and a 14th win in that run, but still, Ake was not doing much to suggest he will be leaping ahead of Laporte or Stones as he was caught out when Leipzig again cut the City lead five minutes into the second half.
There was a large slice of misfortunate for City, as De Bruyne tracked back to help stop a Leipzig attack but bumped into referee Serdar Gozubuyuk, tumbling to the ground in the process.
The German attack continued and Dani Olmo floated a delightful cross over Ruben Dias, allowing Nkunku to ghost in ahead of Ake and nod his second goal of the night past Ederson.
With City’s array of attacking talent, it was only a matter of time before they restored their advantage and just six minutes later, Grealish had the chance to do so with his first European goal.
It was a pragmatic and simple goal, Dias tidying up a loose ball in the centre circle with a big clearance out to the left where Grealish gathered, cut inside a defender, and curled in a brilliant finish from 16 yards.
It was not enough for the perfectionist Guardiola, however, who was seen remonstrating in animated fashion with Mahrez in a manner that suggested City were two goals behind, rather than in front. Nor would his mood have presumably improved when Ferran Torres appeared to have added a fifth for City, rounding the keeper and converting only to see the goal ruled out for offside.
Nkunku had a hat-trick to complete, which he did on 73 minutes from a brilliant Yussuf Poulsen through ball, but within a minute, City had yet again stretched their lead when Gundogan’s short pass found Joao Cancelo whose brilliant 25-yard shot whistled in.
An eventful evening had a couple more twists to offer, however, first when former City full-back Angelino was sent off for a second bookable offence 12 minutes from time and then, seven minutes later, when Dias ended a goalmouth scramble following a corner by pushing the ball to substitute Gabriel Jesus who converted a sixth for his team.
Ederson 6; Cancelo 7, Dias 5, Ake 5, Zinchenko 5; Rodri 6 (Fernandinho 59, 5); Mahrez 6, De Bruyne 8 (Foden 71, 6), B Silva 6 (Gundogan 60, 6), Grealish 7 (Jesus 80); Torres 7 (Sterling 71, 6). Carson, Slicker, Walker, Palmer, Lavia.
Gulacsi 6; Klostermann 5, Urban 5, Mukiele 5, Angelino 6; Laimer 5 (Haidara 60, 5), Adams 7; Olmo 7 (Brobbey 72, 6), Forsberg 6 (Szoboszlai 61, 6), Nkunku 9 (Gvardiol 80); A Silva 6 (Poulsen 60, 7). Simakan, Moriba, Martinez, Henrichs, Kampl.
S Gozubuyuk (Netherlands) 7
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