It was an entertaining first 45 minutes under the floodlights at the Etihad Stadium with plenty of chances, but the decisive breakthrough came shortly after the interval, with Mahrez striking a wonderful free-kick beyond the rooted Edouard Mendy from 20 yards.
Two minutes before the hour mark, Julian Alvarez added the second of the evening, pouncing on Mendy’s parry from a fierce Mahrez shot to tap into an empty net, claiming his seventh goal in all competitions this season.
The visitors looked to hit back instantly through Lewis Hall, who was denied in the first period expertly by Stefan Ortega Moreno, and the Chelsea youngster was once again superbly kept out by the sprawling goalkeeper, who palmed his effort away from the bottom corner.
The visitors had the ball in the net in the 90th minute, but it was ruled out for offside.
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Pep Guardiola‘s side saw out the victory and secured a place in the hat for the round four draw of the Carabao Cup!
View the best images from the victory via our gallery below.
