It took less than 15 minutes for Sevilla to realize that they were once again outmatched by the Premier League’s most dangerous side, Manchester City.
With Sergio Aguero and David Silva still injured, and with Kevin De Bruyne waiting patiently on the bench, it was Fernandinho who took control this week and fired the Citizens into the Champions League knockout stage.
Without even being at full strength and with yet another giveaway goal, Man City still managed to dominate Sevilla, the reigning Europe League champions en route to a 3-1 victory, and passed Juventus into first place in Group D, guaranteeing themselves a place in the next round in the process.
Here are the Manchester City player ratings from their win over Sevilla.
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GK Joe Hart – 6/10
For the second week in a row he made a mistake that gave up a goal, and for the second week in a row Hart’s teammates bailed him out.
DF Bacary Sagna – 7/10
Good showing by Sagna throughout the match, keeping the ball well away from the goalpost.
DF Vincent Kompany – 8/10
The defence was on lockdown in the second half and Kompany was a big reason for that with yet another big game. He drew a foul, cleared the ball 10 times and had two tackles.
DF Nicolas Otamendi – 8/10
Second superb day in only four days for Otamendi, with four successful tackles, 10 cleared balls and a shot.
DF Aleksandar Kolarov – 5/10
Not a whole lot to say about Kolarov, who fouled and had one corner kick.
MF Fernando – 6.5/10
The odd-man out from an otherwise sensational day from the midfield, Fernando had a decent day but was the only 90-minute midfielder who didn’t contribute to a score.
MF Fernandinho – 10/10
Everything went Fernandinho’s way in the first fifteen minutes – literally. He had an assist to Raheem Sterling followed by a breathtaking header.
MF Jesus Navas – 8/10
Navas could have performed open-heart surgery with his feet with that pinpoint accuracy he displayed on Tuesday.
MF Yaya Toure – 7/10
Toure distributed the ball nicely, finishing with more passes than anyone else on the team. He had a well-placed shot as well.
MF Raheem Sterling – 8/10
Hard to defend against the kind of footwork Sterling showed off in the first 15 minutes. £45 million is starting to look more and more like a bargain for the former Golden Boy.
FW Wilfried Bony – 7.5/10
The first goal, from Navas’s pass, was a thing of beauty.
Substitutes:
Kevin De Bruyne – 7/10
Solid minutes for De Bruyne, who came within a few inches of scoring a goal in the middle of the second half.
Fabian Delph – 4/10
Delph seemed slow in the few minutes he had on the pitch.
Martin Demichelis – 5/10
Garbage time sub for Fernandinho