CITY READY TO MAKE BIG NOISE
Pep says Blues can go all the way after perfect start to Euro fight
SHAKHTAR ...... 0 MAN CITY ......... 3
PEP GUARDIOLA insists his side are ready to finally end their wait for Champions League glory as they started the new campaign in ruthless fashion.
Manchester City put a bad few days behind them as goals from Riyad Mahrez, Ilkay Gundogan and a late Gabriel Jesus added a third late on to wrap up victory in the Group C opener.
And boss Guardiola insists this can finally be the season the club claim the ultimate prize after years of heartache.
He said: “To start with three points away is so important, it is in our hands to reach the last 16.
“But we saw the results yesterday and today and we know how difficult the Champions League is.
“When you win the manager makes the right decisions, when you lose the wrong decisions. We lost one game in eight months – so it’s a real joy to be manager of these players.”
Midfielder Fernandinho was pressed into action as a central defender as injuries to Aymeric Laporte and John Stones left Nicolas Otamendi as the Premier League champions’ only fit specialist centre-back.
Jesus was surprisingly preferred to record goalscorer Sergio Aguero who was on the bench along with Benjamin Mendy and Bernardo Silva.
City started brightly in Kharkiv but were struggling to create a noteworthy chance, Mahrez firing well over in the 19th minute
Mahrez opened the scoring shortly afterwards when neat link-up play between Gundogan and Jesus saw the former curl a shot against the left-hand upright. The ball then fell perfectly for the Algerian to slam the ball into an empty net.
Shakhtar responded and Junior Moraes drilled a shot against the chest of Ederson from Taison’s sublime pass.
But City doubled their lead through Gundogan after 38 minutes, the midfielder latching on to a pass from Mahrez and firing home off a post.
Kevin de Bruyne was inches away from a third after 43 minutes but the half ended with City 2-0 to the good.
German midfielder Gundogan saw a shot saved by keeper Andrei Pyatov in the 52nd minute and when the ball rebounded to defender Sergiy Kryvtsov he inexplicably played it across the area to Raheem Sterling who hit a post with a fierce drive.
De Bruyne beat a defender but then screwed a shot wide in the 68th minute as the visitors looked for a third goal.
It was all too easy for City and they did make the game safe in the 76th minute when a three-on-one break ended with de Bruyne slipping in Jesus and he coolly slotted home.
With the job done City introduced Benjamin Mendy off the bench for his first appearance of the season.
Gundogan said: “We needed to respond and respond well to the Norwich defeat. All of us, not just individually. They created good chances but we were solid at the back
“We played quite well. The first goal away helps you but we never relaxed, kept the ball well and created a lot of chances. The result is great for us at a tough ground.”