STEAUA BUCHAREST 0, MANCHESTER CITY 5 (Champions League Play-off round, 1st Leg)
- Joe Hart left out of the team again
- Sergio Aguero misses two penalties but scores a hat trick
- Aleksandar Kolarov and Nolito (twice) hit the woodwork
- David Silva opens his account for the season
- Nolito scores his first Manchester City goal
A Sergio Aguero hat trick and goals for David Silva and Nolito all but booked passage into the Champions League group stage for Manchester City as they rampaged through a poor Steaua Bucharest side.
In the end, City went home having dominated 70% of the possession with 24 shots on goal, 12 on target with the majority of those going to Sergio Aguero who had a serious chance of breaking his record of five goals in a game for City set against Newcastle United last season.
From ten chances of his own, Aguero had seven on target – converting three of those into goals with two missed spot kicks.
City could easily have gone home more than ten goals to the good having missed two Aguero penalties and hit the woodwork three times in Romania.
Steaua came to regret the two early missed chances which might have embarrassed John Stones early on before City regained their composure.
David Silva scored the precious early away goal that City sought before Aguero finally got on the scoresheet before half time.
Both first half goals were laid on by Raheem Sterling who was immense during the first period, repaying the faith that Guardiola had shown in him since his arrival at the Etihad.
Nolito made it three shortly after the restart as the chances continued to flow.
Aleksandar Kolarov and Nolito (twice) hit the woodwork on a night that could have seen Steaua blown out of the water by the break.
Joe Hart on the bench again
For all the motivational platitudes aimed at Joe Hart it was Willy Caballero who stayed in goal for the second game in a row as Pep Guardiola decided on just two changes from the Premier League win over Sunderland on Saturday.
The Spaniard’s decision will magnify talk that he may be looking for a new goalkeeper – if rumours about a possible deal for Barcelona’s 33-year-old Claudio Bravo are correct.
Yaya Toure was left in Manchester while Jason Denayer was conspicuously absent from the match day squad.
John Stones made his Champions League bow alongside Nicolas Otamendi who had been saved for what Guardiola expected to be physical and direct opponents in Steaua Bucharest.
Pablo Zabaleta was the other change as Bacary Sagna and Gael Clichy were rested while makeshift centre back Aleksandar Kolarov moved over to more familiar surroundings at left full back.
City were soon in full-on attacking mode as they sought the away goal that Guardiola had demanded prior to kick off.
Raheem Sterling in sparkling form
An early penalty inside eight minutes was won by Raheem Sterling – a second foul in the box for the rejuvenated winger in as many games – following a quickly taken corner.
Sergio Aguero’s spot kick, however, was pushed away by Florin Nita and Nolito’s follow-up hit the bar with the goal unguarded.
City didn’t have to wait long before they opened the scoring, however, as David Silva was fed by Sterling who had stolen the ball off Alin Tosca.
The winger cut inside and squared the ball for the Spaniard whose left-footed finish put the visitors a goal to the good after 13 minutes.
Kolarov was tripped for another penalty by Gabriel Enache after cutting in from the left to capitalise on a ball from captain Zabaleta with barely 21 minutes on the clock.
Presented with a chance to correct his earlier error Aguero bizarrely missed again by nervously blazing the ball over after clipping the bar with a straight shot after waiting for Nita to move.
It was his fourth penalty miss in five European games for the Argentine hit-man.
Sergio Aguero nets hat trick after double penalty miss
Thankfully, Aguero did have a goal to celebrate before half time.
City were attacking at will and Aguero found the back of the net from the edge of the area as Sterling’s superb pass found the Argentine in the mood to right his horror start to the game. It was his eighth goal in nine games for City in all competitions.
Nolito scored his first goal for City – and City’s third of the night – after 49 minutes following relentless City pressure after the restart, exchanging passes with Kevin De Bruyne before sidestepping Nita and slotting home.
It was mainly one way traffic in the second half with Nita making a trio of good saves to keep the scoreline respectable.
But City were irresistible, and Aguero picked up his second of the night, and City’s fourth, when he was played in by Nolito with 12 minutes to go and drilled home a low shot into the bottom corner.
And Aguero completed his hat trick – his eighth for City – with a minute to spare, in off the post, on his 500th club appearance after Fernandinho played him in.
Better teams will exploit City’s weakness on the break but City have laid down a marker to the rest of Europe and look set for a place in the Champions League group stage.