Raheem Sterling grabs late winner as Manchester City continue unbeaten run against Feyenoord
Updated 22/11/2017 at 20:59 GMT
Champions League Group F, Etihad Stadium – Manchester City 1 (Sterling 88) Feyenoord 0
Raheem Sterling scored a fine winning goal two minutes from time as Manchester City sealed top spot in Group F with a 1-0 win over Feyenoord.
Pep Guardiola made seven changes to his starting line-up with Yaya Toure and Bernardo Silva starting but the home side lacked their usual ruthlessness in front of goal.
Silva and Sergio Aguero missed good opportunities with Kevin De Bruyne pulling the strings majestically in midfield.
The second half was a similar story with Aguero missing a glorious chance while Sam Larsson and Steven Berghuis went close for the Dutch side.
17-year-old Phil Foden came on for his Champions League debut in the closing stages but it was Sterling who took the headlines with a well taken strike on 88 minutes as City extended their unbeaten run to 19 games.
TALKING POINT
Can anyone stop Guardiola’s side? They were far from their best and made a string of changes but still managed to grab the win to continue their unbeaten run this season. The acid test is yet to come but on current form City will be a match for tournament favourites Real Madrid and Barcelona.
MAN OF THE MATCH
Sam Larsson (Feyenoord): The Swedish forward would have won more admirers with an impressive performance. His nifty footwork and vision were a problem for the City defence and he came close to scoring. The 24-year-old is not a prolific goal-scorer but has plenty of skill in his locker.
PLAYER RATINGS
MANCHESTER CITY: Ederson 6, Walker 6, Otamendi 6, Mangala 5, Danilo 6, Gundogan 6, Toure 5, De Bruyne 7, B. Silva 5, Aguero 5, Sterling 7. Subs: Jesus 5, Foden n/a, Diaz n/a.
FEYENOORD: Jones 6, Haps 6, Tapia 6, Van Beek 5, Diks 5, Vilhena 6, Toorinstra 5, Amrabat 5, Berghuis 6, Boetius 6, Larsson 7. Subs: Niuewkoop n/a, Basacikoglu n/a.
KEY MOMENTS:
8’ - CLOSE! City have a corner after De Bruyne's sumptuous first-time cross is put behind. The delivery falls to Danilo whose shot from 25 yards goes narrowly wide
32’ - CLOSE! Lovely footwork from De Bruyne on the wing who flicks in a cross for Aguero whose header at the near post goes over, he should have done better from there as he was unmarked.
36’ - BERNARDO MISS! Sterling with a good run across the box before teeing up Silva whose tame side-footed effort is straight at the keeper. He should have belted that in.
63’ - CLOSE! De Bruyne with a low drive from the edge of the box which goes agonisingly wide.
67’ - CLOSE! Amrabat concedes a free-kick with a late challenge. Toure's free-kick is stopped by Jones' fingertips, that was a great save.
73’ - AGUERO MISS: Silva lofts a sublime ball into the box, Aguero chests it down and lashes it wide from close range. What a miss!
88’ - GOAL FOR CITY! Sterling lofts the ball into the top corner after trading passes with Gundogan following a throw-in.
KEY STATS
Manchester City have not lost a competitive game since April 23rd against Arsenal in the FA Cup semi-final.
In their last 13 games, Feyenoord have suffered seven defeats.
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