Man City ignore Pep Guardiola’s pessimism with 3-1 win over Copenhagen
FC Copenhagen 1-3 Man City (Mattsson 34′ | De Bruyne 10′, Silva 45′, Foden 90+1′)
Pep Guardiola can insist there is 99.99 per cent chance of Manchester City not winning another Treble this season but his players seem to be paying no attention to their manager’s pessimistic prediction.
First-half goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva, and a late effort from Phil Foden, edged the Citizens a step closer to reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League for a seventh consecutive season.
There were concerns for the City manager, not least when Ederson gifted an equaliser to Magnus Mattsson and the loss of Jack Grealish to an early injury.
But an 11th consecutive win for his side, and a run of one defeat from their last 24 games, suggest the City manager may have been playing some crude reverse psychology with his doom and gloom prediction.
Certainly, the sight of Grealish, De Bruyne and Erling Haaland in the same starting line-up for the first time since the Champions League final in June must have struck fear into the hearts of a Copenhagen side who had not played for two months due to a winter break.
And when De Bruyne shot them ahead after 10 minutes, sweeping in a textbook finish from Foden’s assist, the Danes must have feared the worst.
After all, an unmarked De Bruyne had headed wide from six yards after three minutes and Ruben Dias forced Kamil Grabara into a superb goalline stop with a powerful attempt three minutes later.
And after the opening goal, Haaland missed with a spectacular kung-fu kick volley while a Silva cross came off a defender and struck the bar.
But Ederson’s inexplicable clearance after 34 minutes, directly to Mohamed Elyounoussi, saw his shot blocked by Dias with the ricochet falling for Danish international Mattsson, making his Copenhagen debut, to finish from just outside the area.
There would even be another chance for Mattsson, who snatched at his shot and cleared the bar before the interval, but Mattsson’s final involvement of the half would lead to City’s second goal.
The midfielder attempted to block De Bruyne but succeeded only in deflecting the ball into the path of Silva who finished magnificently with a deft flick past Grabara.
By that stage, Grealish had long since departed, limping off after 21 minutes on what was his first start since early January, a potential worry to Guardiola as he continues his chase for what he insists is the all but impossible back-to-back trebles.
And the Danes, who twice came from behind to beat Manchester United in group play at the Parken Stadium earlier this season, were far from out of the contest as Elyounoussi opened the second half with a glancing header wide.
It did not take City long to re-establish dominance, with Grabara saving well from De Bruyne and making a more routine stop to ensure Foden’s free-kick and Haaland’s header did not beat him.
Player of the match: Kevin De Bruyne
- Continued to make a major impact on his return from a long injury lay-off.
His best save of the night denied substitute Jeremy Doku’s 18-yard effort as the former Liverpool keeper dived to turn his effort around the post.
But, with the second leg against Copenhagen sandwiched between league games against United and Liverpool early next month, Foden’s strike from De Bruyne’s cut-back, two minutes into added time, provide an important cushion.
