John Edwards
Game: City 5-3 Monaco
An enthralling evening of football that will live long in the memory of everyone at the Etihad on that February night.
It was a game that had anything and it was befitting of the world’s best club cup competition.
Monaco played their part, of course, twice going in front, with Falcao netting a sublime chip and Bernardo Silva producing one of the finest performances by an opposition player at the Etihad.
But this night belonged to City, who showed class and courage in equal measure.
Heads didn’t drop and at times, the direct nature of the Blues’ attacking play was a joy to watch.
Leroy Sane’s jinking run in the build up to the first was wing play at its finest, while Sergio Aguero’s sweetly struck volley was reward for a tireless performance.
Willy Caballero again showed his worth on penalties and there was redemption for John Stones who, after being outwitted by Falcao for the visitor’s third, popped up with the all-important fourth goal.
A performance to savour.
Game: City 7-2 Stoke
Perhaps an obvious choice given the scoreline, but there was more to City’s 7-2 triumph over Stoke than the sensational result.
The football Pep Guardiola’s men displayed in the breath-taking demolition was at times, a joy to behold.
A blistering start saw the Blues race into a three-goal lead inside the opening half an hour and the way the hosts sliced open the Potters defence, time after time, with players queuing up to finish off each of the gloriously-crafted moves was mesmeric.
There was a brief set-back as Mark Hughes’ men clawed their way back into the contest with goals either side of half-time, but City simply rolled up the sleeves and shifted up a gear.
We went on to bag four more goals in a frenzied 25 minutes, running riot to produce one of the most entertaining games the Etihad Stadium has witnessed.
(Spare a moment for our media team though. Imagine trying to tweet out a goal description while another is being scored… twice! Chaos!)
Game: City 4-1 Spurs
It’s a crowded field given how good City have been this season, but the win against Tottenham was an all-time classic.
It had everything. Controversy, tough-tackling, free-flowing attacking football and an inspired individual display from Kevin De Bruyne.
Make no mistake, this is one of the strongest Spurs sides in recent memory, led by one of the game’s bright managerial hopes, and the away side were arguably the sharper in the opening exchanges.
But City’s class soon told, and by the end, the gulf between the two sides was huge.
City were 1-0 up when De Bruyne was fouled recklessly by Dele Alli, a moment that sparked him raise his game. He suddenly took control, producing one of the greatest performances we’ve seen at the Etihad. He scored with a blistering left-footed strike, won a penalty and pulled the strings to orchestrate a fine 4-1 win.
The best game I ever saw at Maine was the 5-2 win over Spurs in 1994. Fast-forward 23 years and we witnessed another classic between these two sides.
Best game – City 4-1 Spurs
The Etihad Stadium atmosphere was electric and that contributed to a frenetic game. The moment of the match was surely Kevin de Bruyne hauling himself off the deck following a clash with Dele Alli to slam home our second goal.
