Needless to say, the press are full of praise for the Champions, following Saturday’s breathtaking triumph at Cardiff.
The Sunday morning headlines make very pleasant reading, indeed, with the footballing world salivating over City’s five-star display and the Blues’ response to the midweek Champions League defeat to Lyon.
One man in particular had journalists and fans purring – no prizes for guessing who!
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Let’s kick-off with Ben Fisher’s reflection for the Guardian.
“Manchester City laid on an attacking masterclass that extinguished any fears of a European hangover to blow away Cardiff in style with five magnificent goals, as they strolled to victory in south Wales,” he wrote.
“An imperious away performance left the hosts exasperated with Sergio Agüero opening the scoring on his 300th appearance for City before Riyad Mahrez’s double completed the rout, with his first goals for the club since a £60m summer switch coming after beautiful goals by Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gündogan.
“As Neil Warnock said before kick-off, it was good news that his side have to play them only twice this season. On a dank afternoon this was a harrowing experience for Cardiff – an ordeal.
“By half-time, by which point City had established a three-goal lead, it was a case of damage limitation.
“Things could have been worse for Cardiff, too, with Joe Ralls fortunate to avoid a red card for a poor first-half challenge on Gündogan.
“Long before the final whistle, City stroked the ball around at will, safe in the knowledge they had sealed a 10th win in 12 Premier League matches and hoisted themselves up to second in the table.
“The hosts were powerless as City turned on the style.”
Phil Thompson, speaking on Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday, agreed: “It was a fantastic response from midweek.
“As soon as Aguero scored the first on his 300th appearance and after signing his new contract, all of a sudden, they got into – not only second gear – but third and fourth. They were flying.
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“In the second half, they were shifting the ball about in between the lines. It was excellent.
“Gundogan was really, really good and he scored a sensational goal.
“The squad they’ve got is absolutely terrific and there were some really great performances.”
Claiming a goal and an assist to cap a superb display, Ilkay Gundogan deservedly scooped the plaudits and the Man of the Match award.
Match of the Day pundit Jermaine Jenas singled out the midfielder for praise.
“He was special,” the former Tottenham man hailed.
“After the disappointment midweek, it was definitely important for Manchester City to get back to their creative best.
“I was surprised David Silva didn’t start the game but this man Gundogan filled the void perfectly.
“He was ever present in the pocket of spaces. He was willing to make things happen.
“Teams like City will just punish you, it was that type of afternoon for Sterling and Gundogan who really seemed to enjoy themselves.
“It was a brilliant performance. Gundogan was the standout one but Sterling was great, Mahrez was obviously good. It was back to business for Pep Guardiola.”
Stuart Brennan of the Manchester Evening News and ESPN’s Simon Curtis echoed the sentiments, awarding Gundogan a nine out of ten in their player ratings.
“[He] showed immense character to mastermind the Blues’ first half blitz,” Brennan scribed. “[He was] crucial to first goal, scored a blinding third and perfectly teed up the fourth.”
Curtis hailed: “[It was a] lively and engaging performance from the German, who had had the first chance of the game after eight minutes.
“Undeterred by the miss, he produced a beautifully placed goal into the top corner, slid in the critical pass for the opener and set up Riyad Mahrez for the fourth.”
In other news, there’s a snippet of transfer gossip as the Daily Star claim City are plotting a move to bring Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Adrien Rabiot back to the club on a free transfer when his contract runs out next summer.
According to Greg Adams: “The midfielder, 23, spent a brief time at the Etihad as a teenager but suffered from homesickness and returned to France.
“Rabiot featured in PSG’s midweek Champions League defeat to Liverpool and City had their scouts in attendance at Anfield.
“The France international is in his final year and has rejected new terms.
“He is looking for wages of around £150k per week and an £8m signing-on fee – which City can easily afford – making him a very attractive prospect given the huge transfer fees paid out this summer.”
