MAN CITY 4, BORUSSIA MONCHENGLADBACH 0
The rain had ceased, but there still a tidal wave at the Etihad as Manchester City opened their Champions League campaign in impressive style against Germany’s Borussia Monchengladbach.
In a group C game delayed by 24 hours by the monsoonal conditions of the previous night, City sent out a statement that they are likely to be genuine contenders to become champions of Europe,
On a balmy late summer’s evening, the way they dismantled a top team like Borussia, in Pep Guardiola’s first Champions League game in charge, was impressive.
And had it not been for Borussia keeper Yann Sommer, it would have been a far more convincing margin of victory.
The quality of their football was at times sublime and, in Sergio Aguero, they are blessed to have one of the world’s top strikers.
The Argentine scored his second Champions League hat trick to take his season’s goal tally to nine in only five appearances, a staggering statistic.
And Aguero’s other treble was also against German opponents, Bayern Munich in November 2014.
City managed 23 goal attempts, 11 on target, compared to Borussia’s three and one on target, another statistic that underlined their dominance.
It was a highly satisfying night for Guardiola who declared: “Apart from 10 minutes in the first half, it was a really good performance to beat them.
“I know how difficult they are to play against- I have never beaten this coach (Andre Schubert) before.”
Guardiola described it as the best performance from City since he became manager.
“After six or seven games, I am confident I am going to enjoy my first year here,” he said.
Guardiola, who praised both Aguero and new signing Ilkay Gundogan, added the goal for City in Europe is to be a force every season.
He continued: “The next step is to be there every season, qualifying from the group and for the semis and may be the final.
“It is important not to arrive once and then disappear. A good club does another and another and that helps when it comes to attracting players.”
City made four changes from the team that started the Manchester derby.
There was a first City start for Gundogan and a return for Aguero, ruled out of three domestic games through suspension, Pablo Zabaleta and Jesus Navas.
The players to stand down were Kelechi Iheanacho, Bacary Sagna, Nolito and David Silva, the latter having been due to start the previous night.
City hit the ground running and were ahead inside nine minutes when Aguero showed great awareness to ghost in at the near post to fire an Aleksandar Kolarov cross into the roof of the net.
It was clear from that early juncture that it would be a long night for Borussia, and so it proved.
Gundogan, Fernandinho and Raheem Sterling all went close before City doubled their advantage after 27 minutes.
Who else but the livewire Aguero was tripped by Christoph Kramer just inside the box and Aguero showed ice-cool nerves to send Sommer the wrong way from the spot.
Gundogan, who dislocated his knee cap in March, hardly looked to have been away as he went close for a second time.
Borussia rarely had a sniff at goal with their one and only on-target effort in the opening half coming just before the break when keeper Claudio Bravo pulled off a super stop low to his left to keep out a strike from Lars Stindl.
Aguero had a chance to complete his hat trick early in the second half. Sommer fumbled a shot from Navas and Sturridge cut the ball back to the striker whose effort was beaten away by the keeper.
But with a 2-0 lead, there wasn’t the same urgency in the second period with City in a commanding position and content to play keep ball.
City still carved out the occasional chance, Sterling put clean through by Kevin De Bruyne only to shoot narrowly wide.
Aguero was denied by Sommer again with a terrific save low at his near post.
But he completed his treble one minute later when, released by Sterling’s slide-rule pass, he rounded Sommer and coolly slotted the ball into an empty net.
And substitutes Leroy Sane and Iheanacho combined for City’s fourth goal in stoppage time.
Sane cut the ball back for Iheanacho to score his second of the season.