City were handed a difficult prospect in Group A, facing up against semi-finalists in each of the last two Champions League seasons in Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig, as well as Belgian champions Club Brugge.
Nonetheless, Pep Guardiola’s men secured qualification for the knockout stages and top spot in the group with a game to spare following a memorable 2-1 home victory over PSG in Matchweek Five.
We registered four victories and two defeats in our six matches, one of which equalled our greatest winning margin in the Champions League, and averaged three goals per game in the process.
There was also a debut goal for Jack Grealish in our curtain-raising victory against RB Leipzig, while teenage talent Cole Palmer also registered a maiden senior strike away to Club Brugge.
Below, we look at some of the impressive numbers and stats behind our progression to the Champions League knockout stages…
Stats and Facts
-City scored the most goals of any English side across the group stages (18) – with only Bayern Munich (19) and Ajax (20) finding the net more.
-Only Shakhtar Donetsk (90.5%) have registered a better passing accuracy across the Group Stage than Manchester City’s 90.2%.
-Pep Guardiola’s men have topped our Champions League group for the fifth successive season, becoming only the second English side to achieve the feat after Manchester United.
-Jack Grealish is the first Englishman to both score and assist on his Champions League debut since Wayne Rooney against Fenerbahce in September 2004.
-Our 5-1 win against Club Brugge in Matchweek Three equalled our greatest winning margin in the Champions League proper.
-Cole Palmer became only the third teenager to score in Champions League for City when he found the net in our 5-1 win against Club Brugge. Only Phil Foden and Kelechi Iheanacho have previously emulated the feat.
-At the age of just 19 years and 166 days, Cole Palmer’s goal against Brugge also saw him become the 10th youngest Englishman to score in the competition.
-Only Sergio Agüero (six in 2013-14) has scored more goals in a single Champions League group stage for Manchester City than the five Riyad Mahrez has this season.
