It also sees us draw level with the current West Ham team, who have also gone 17 matches unbeaten in European competition.
No English side has ever remained unbeaten on the continent longer than that.
That form stretches back to the start of last season’s Champions League, which saw us lift the trophy for the first time, and includes 11 victories and six draws.
It comprises of 16 Champions League matches as well as the UEFA Super Cup triumph on penalties over Sevilla in August.
We’ve also scored in our last 11 Champions League games, going back to the 0-0 draw with Borussia Dortmund in October 2022.
WITNESS THE RETURN FIXTURE AT THE ETIHAD STADIUM
It also saw Pep Guardiola equal his longest unbeaten run in the Champions League as manager, drawing level with the 16 games without defeat in charge of Barcelona between 2011 and 2012.
Only Manchester United have ever had a longer run without defeat among English teams in European Cup/Champions League history (a 25-game run between 2007 and 2009).
Although the breakthrough against BSC Young Boys didn’t come until the second half and we were briefly pegged back by the Swiss champions, City were dominant on the night.
We enjoyed 68.4% of the ball, completing 673 passes compared to Young Boys’ 274.
Our creative output throughout the night is demonstrated by the 3.97xG in comparison to just 0.47 for our hosts.
In total, we had 26 shots on the Young Boys goal whereas the Swiss side managed 10 on ours.
Akanji’s homecoming
Manuel Akanji became the first Swiss player to score against a Swiss side in the UEFA Champions League (excluding own goals) with his 48th minute finish.
The defender followed up Ruben Dias‘ header and was quickest to react after Anthony Racioppi tipped the ball onto the bar.
As the above graphic shows, it was one of only two touches he had in our opponents’ box.
It also demonstrates how wide Akanji was throughout the game, as City sought to push the ball high up the pitch and into Young Boys’ defensive spaces.
The Switzerland international was delighted with his goal in his homeland - only his second goal in City colours after a finish against Real Madrid in last season’s semi-final.
Rico the revelation
Rico Lewis continues to impress every time he takes to the pitch.
The Academy graduate was given UEFA’s Man of the Match award for yet another all-action performance across full-back and central midfield areas.
In total, he had 96 touches and completed 72 passes - with 19 of those coming in the final third.
He also had a shot - a sweetly struck effort from the edge of the box that looked destined for the goal until it was blocked.
Haaland’s incredible numbers
Erling Haaland’s successful penalty was his first goal in this competition since the second leg of last season’s quarter-final with Bayern Munich, ending a run of 543 minutes with a goal in the Champions League.
His second was an exceptional finish at the end of flowing move from the back and through Bernardo Silva, Julian Alvarez and Rodrigo.
The Norwegian has scored 37 goals in 33 games in the competition, a blistering pace that far eclipses any other great scorers in the Champions League’s history at this stage in their career.
At 23 years and 96 days, he is also the quickest in terms of age to score 37 times in the Champions League - beating Kylian Mbappe’s previous record of 23 years-295 days.
His tally also makes him the 20th top scorer in the history of European competition, surpassing Ferenc Puskas with his brace last night.
2023/24 Champions League stats
City’s nine goals in three games is the joint most in the competition with Bayern Munich.
Our average possession of 68.7% is a whopping five percent more than the next best - Paris Saint-Germain.
Julian Alvarez remains the joint-highest scorer in the competition with three goals while Erling Haaland‘s 10 shots on target is the most across all players.
