First-half goals from Raheem Sterling, Fernandinho and Wilfried Bony left Sevilla shell-shocked with the Blues’ slick football too good for the La Liga outfit.
With Juventus only drawing away to Borussia Monchengladbach, City now top Group D - a rare luxury for a team who look like they are finally coming of age in Europe’s premier club competition.
City’s last win in Spain was back in 2011 when the Blues beat Villarreal 3-0 when a brace from Yaya Toure and a Mario Balotelli penalty settled a comfortable victory over the Yellow Submarine – coincidentally the team that beat Sevilla 2-1 at the weekend.
Ironically, it was the Blues who looked more like the yellow perils on this occasion sporting the ghost green third kit – but only a victory could sink their opponents’ hopes of progressing on a night of numerous possibilities
...Sevilla v City...
Two changes were made from the side that narrowly beat Norwich at the weekend with Kevin De Bruyne dropping to the bench and Kelechi Iheanacho not part of the Champions League squad.
In their place came Sterling and Fernando, meaning a more advanced role for Yaya Toure as well as freeing Fernandinho to get forward more than perhaps he normally would.
City began at a blistering pace, firing three lows shots off target in the opening four minutes, but Manuel Pellegrini’s side didn’t have to wait long to be rewarded for their endeavours with just eight minutes played.
As wave after wave of City attacks appeared to stun the hosts and the partisan home support, Fernandinho played a superb ball through to Sterling who beat the approaching Rico with a smart left-foot shot to give his side the perfect start.
It was a thoroughly deserved lead and less than three minutes later, the Blues had doubled their lead with Sterling and Fernandinho again at the heart of the move.
Fernandinho played in Sterling on the left and the England winger picked out Bony just inside the box. The Ivorian’s shot was palmed upwards by Rico and into the path of Fernandinho who made no mistake as he planted a firm header into the empty net.
A two-goal lead didn’t flatter City at all, and on 14 minutes,
The counter-attacks were fast and furious and the defending was solid and assured – but Sevilla’s fearsome home reputation has been carved over a lengthy period win six wins from their seven Champions League matches on this ground
...Sevilla v City...
They were bound to come back at City and after gradually regaining their composure, the Andalusians clawed their way back into the game with a clever goal as Coke fizzed into the box and chipped a clever ball over Joe Hart to the back post where Benoît Trémoulinas headed home.
Four minutes later and Sevilla almost drew level as Timothée Kolodziejczak connected with a Yevhen Konoplyanka cross but his header down low to the left of Hart was kept out brilliantly by the England keeper.
It was a pivotal moment because another goal for the hosts so quickly could have knocked the stuffing out of the Blues and the home crowd would have cranked the noise up to unbearable levels – instead, seven minutes later, Hart’s long ball found the impressive Navas and his clever low cross was turned home coolly by Bony to restore City’s two-goal advantage.
It had been a quite stunning first-half display by City who had taken the game to Sevilla from the word go.
By the standards of the first period, the second instalment was less frenetic and a little calmer, but before the hour-mark Fernandinho’s point-blank shot from Sterling’s clever run and low cross almost made it 4-1, but it was straight at Rico who did well to beat it out.
The football City were playing was, at times, was sublime. The passing, the movement and the intelligence left the Europa League holders mesmerised for long periods and to silence the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuán Stadium is no mean feat and certainly something no other English side has done before.
A fantastic night for City and almost impossible to pick just one player for man-of-the-match, so good was everyone in ghost green.
