Manchester City took control of Champions League Group C by comfortably beating Marseille 3-0 tonight in the South of France.
Pep Guardiola’s side went into tonight’s clash after beating Porto 3-1 in their opening game, and right from the off it was obvious the Premier League side were superior to their Ligue 1 opponents in every aspect of the game.
It was no surprise, therefore, when City took the lead after 18 minutes via summer signing Ferran Torres, the young Spanish attacker left with a straightforward finish from eight yards after Kevin de Bruyne’s squared ball.
Andre Villas-Boas’ side showed little in attack or defence to suggest they will gain many points during the group stages, and City duly finished them off in the second period. First, German midfielder Ilkay Gundogan drilled home a half-volley from close range, before Raheem Sterling tapped in a low De Bruyne cross for a trademark Man City strike.
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Kevin De Bruyne vs Marseille:
⏱️ 82′ played
???? 81 touches
????️ 2 assists
???? 2 big chances created
???? 2 key passes
???? 6/8 acc. long balls
???? 47/58 acc. passes
⚔️ 4/6 duels won
❌ 2 tackles
???? 8.5 SofaScore ratingHe was the man of the match tonight! ????????#UCL pic.twitter.com/JaRFHIBsPk
— SofaScore (@SofaScoreINT) October 27, 2020
Speaking afterwards Guardiola was delighted with his side’s display and the performances of several of his players.
“We played really well, we didn’t concede much and we were in control, patient and aggressive without the ball. I’m so satisfied with the performance and result, it’s always difficult to win away,” Guardiola told BT Sport.
“We can play on both sides, we tried to play high and wide to stretch the pitch. Raheem Sterling was exceptional, Phil [Foden] as well. We didn’t expect them to play five at the back until we saw the team. Porto was the same. As much as we play against five at the back we started to take the control and rhythm.
“We were so stable defensively. Aymeric [Laporte] was good, Kyle [Walker] is in the best form since we’ve been together, Oleksandr [Zinchenko] helped us, John [Stones] played good minutes. I’m so satisfied with the way we played.”
Next up for City is a trip to Brammall Lane to face Sheffield United in the Premier League.
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