This impressive victory took Manchester City into the last 16 of the Champions League with two games to spare and created a sense of a significant step taken in the quest to become a force in the competition.
Borussia Mönchengladbach’s draw with Juventus confirmed City’s passage with six points still available in Group D. Having leapfrogged the Italian club, City now have a real chance of finishing top and facing a group runner-up in the knockout stage.
Manuel Pellegrini said: “It is very important to qualify for the next stage, now we will try to qualify in first position. I’m happy with the way we played, we scored three goals, missed three or four clear chances, and defended well.
“We played a compete game. Physically, technically, tactically. We defended very well, we had good possession of the ball, we scored three goals and we missed five clear chances.”
Vincent Kompany was equally enthused. “The first feeling is ‘finally’. It’s a difficult group and to qualify with two games to spare is an incredible achievement. We now have to try to finish first in the group.”
Against a Sevilla team who had won their last 10 home matches in Europe, City managed the contest expertly to the delight of their fans, who booed the Champions League anthem once more.
City required 11 minutes to give their support cause to break into a raucous rendition of Blue Moon. By then they were 2-0 ahead and rampant. Both goals came from the dazzling Raheem Sterling as he scored the opener for his first Champions League goal and tore Sevilla’s defence open for the second. The 20-year-old was bought for nights like these. A criticism has been he does not score enough but this charge against Sterling’s claim for a place among Europe’s elite players fades with each goal.
A sixth for the club showed a dead-eyed finishing ability as Sterling took Fernandinho’s pass and fired beyond Sergio Rico with his weaker left foot. Another three minutes had elapsed when Sterling skated beyond the defence and passed to Wilfried Bony. His shot was parried by Rico and Fernandinho scored.
This silenced the home support and had the City fans singing their favourite ditty. They were still doing so when the team roved forward again and City might have doubled the advantage.
Aleksandar Kolarov forced Rico into a save as the left-back advanced, then the former Sevilla favourite Jesús Navas smacked the ball against the goalkeeper’s right-hand post.
Soon, City would rue this lack of ruthlessness. The slackness that plagues their defence was an issue again as Coke looped the ball over a helpless Joe Hart and Benoît Trémoulinas headed into the empty net.
This had become a riveting Champions League tie. When pouring forward City created problems and chances at will, as Fernandinho snapped into tackles and grabbed possession, and Bony, Sterling, Navas and Yaya Touré posed a threat to Unai Emery’s team.
When Sevilla moved into City territory they continued to lack conviction but a Yevhen Konoplyanka corner from the left was dropped by Hart, who was relieved to recover the ball.
Bony had come into the game requiring a goal for his confidence, the City manager had said. Nine minutes before the interval he had one. This was simple stuff as Navas waltzed beyond Trémoulinas down the right, rolled the ball to Bony, and he beat Rico.
Kevin De Bruyne was left on the bench from the side who beat Norwich City 2-1 on Saturday. In came Sterling and Fernando, to play alongside Fernandinho, as Touré pushed into a forward role.
Emery brought on Michael Krohn-Deli for Vincente Iborra and he slotted into the latter’s midfield berth. This stiffened Sevilla as they camped near City’s goal. Here was a test of the visitors’ ability to soak up pressure as is required at times in European games. They came through and were soon threatening Rico’s goal.
Fernandinho, who turned in a storming display, fired at the keeper, who did well to repel the shot. Then Sterling slipped Bony in and he scuffed a shot wide.
As the match entered its final stages the requirement was to jam the door shut. In doing so City served notice of a growing maturity in the Champions League, as they become a proposition few opponents will relish facing.
