Sterling hat-trick helps 10-man Manchester City thrash Atalanta 5-1
On a night of firsts for Manchester City’s English contingent, they could savour one more than the other. Raheem Sterling’s maiden Champions League hattrick rendered the first red card of Phil Foden’s career a footnote.
If that was attributable to the folly of youth, Sterling epitomises Pep Guardiola’s perpetual quest for exponential improvement and this was another milestone in his development. His treble was all the more notable as it came in 11 minutes, and he had also set up both of Sergio Agüero’s fiveminute double. On the night, as in his time at City, it was quite a turnaround Sterling instigated. Having trailed, City overwhelmed Atalanta to take a fivepoint lead at the summit of Group C. The knockout stages beckon.
“I am so satisfied with the result,” said Guardiola. Whenever he praises an opponent’s attacking gameplan while previewing a match, it can be the prelude to a thrashing. So it proved. “I really admire them for their bravery,” the City manager said, but bravery backfired for the Italian side.
Serie A’s top scorers had a goal disallowed, with Remo Freuler denied, could easily have added others and were enterprising and entertaining. But City capitalised as Atalanta attempted to man-mark across the pitch. They had no individual capable of halting Sterling. They remain pointless.
“Raheem was brilliant,” Guardiola added. “He is an incredible player for us.” It was high praise, but his perfectionism is rubbing off on his players. “Perfect night,” said Sterling. “But I should have had four.” He rued the moment when Foden released him and he rolled a shot past the far post.
Three sufficed to make him only the eighth Englishman to score a Champions League hat-trick. All of the other seven are strikers by trade and Sterling’s treble came from the left flank, each showing his capacity to cut infield. His first goal, and City’s third, stemmed from a powerful surge from Kevin De Bruyne, followed by a sharp turn that left Rafael Toloi on his backside. The Belgian found Foden whose selflessness was apparent as he squared the ball to Sterling, in a better position, to lift his shot into the roof of the net.
A precise low finish followed after Ilkay Gündogan, with similar accuracy, provided a defence-splitting pass while he ensured he departed with the match ball by ghosting in to apply the finishing touch to Riyad Mahrez’s cross. “All the credit is for him,” added Guardiola, deflecting the praise for the transformation of a man who had never scored more than 12 goals in a season before they linked up and who now has 16 for this campaign already. “I think he has the desire to be better. He helps us a lot.”
He aided, abetted and assisted
Agüero. It was the Argentinian’s destiny to be eclipsed by Sterling but, if City were relieved when he escaped unhurt from a car crash last week, he inflicted some damage on Atalanta, who led for six minutes before, in a mirror image of Sterling’s first goal, Agüero applied a deft touch to the winger’s chipped cross. His second came from the penalty spot after Andrea Masiello felled Sterling.
It amounted to a busy night for the referee, Oscar Grinfeld, who awarded each side a spot-kick. The one City gave away may have illustrated the perils of playing without specialist centrebacks. It was perhaps more of a surprise that Guardiola operated without a Silva, with both David and Bernardo rested, than that he began with two midfielders at the heart of the defence. It became an awkward night for both. Rodri hobbled off with a hamstring strain as the injury curse of City’s centre-backs, permanent or makeshift, continued. “Ten days [out],” predicted Guardiola. “Three weeks if it is broken.” Before then, Fernandinho betrayed his unfamiliarity with the position by getting his geography wrong when he caught Josip Ilicic inside the box. Ruslan Malinovskyi dispatched the resulting penalty.
The Ukrainian was fouled for Foden’s first yellow card. His second seemed inevitable when he tugged back Marten de Roon, although Guardiola, who gave the teenager a consolatory pat on the back on his way off, confronted the fourth official. “He told me not to talk too much because he wanted to show me the yellow card,” said the City manager.
He was happier to discuss Foden’s influential display, saying he had selected a player granted only 11 minutes of Premier League football this season in part because of his box-to-box running power. “He has to be a bit more clever when he has the yellow,” he said. “Yellow card, be careful. But that experience is going to help him. With Phil, the important thing is not the red card but the way he played.” He will not take further disciplinary action against the dismissed midfielder. “I never fine except for a stupid thing. He played so well that maybe I have to pay him [more].”