MATCH REPORT AND PLAYER RATINGS - COPENHAGEN 1-3 MANCHESTER CITY

Image courtesy of skysports.co.uk

Manchester City got the job done in a dominant performance against Danish champions FC Copenhagen, with the talking point being the outstanding individual performances of Kevin de Bruyne and Phil Foden.

The Blues, who are currently in the middle of a long winning streak, came flying out the blocks with arguably their strongest team for big games on the pitch.

This means we saw the likes of Jack Grealish, Bernardo Silva and John Stones start in order to control and suffocate the game, with De Bruyne, Foden and Erling Haaland providing jus the right amount of forward thinking creativity in order to pose a threat and maintain balance.

The first fifteen minutes of football was some of the best stuff I personally have ever seen City play. The Copenhagen players were chasing shadows, as they just couldn't get a sniff of possession in the early stages, despite the raucous atmosphere their fans were creating.

City's early dominance took its toll, as they took the lead inside the first ten minutes thanks to a low strike from Kevin de Bruyne into the bottom left corner, following excellent link up play with Foden on the right (a common theme for the evening.)

City were purring, with every player participating in the early stages of domination. Before the goal, City missed two good chances via De Bruyne and Ruben Dias, and it appeared to be a case of when, not if, they added to their lead.

But after Grealish went off with an apparent groin injury in the middle of the first half, City's tight grip on the game loosened. They were still the better side, but Copenhagen were coping a lot better with City's pressure and even applying some of their own attacking threat.

With their first chance of the night, Copenhagen drew level. Ederson's attempted pass to Nathan Ake was uncharacteristically wayward, and after Dias blocked the initial effort on goal, Magnus Mattsson followed in with a fierce strike from outside the box to equalise.

The rest of the half was fairly equal, with City still keeping most of the ball but not creating any chances.

But with quality players on the pitch, there is always the chance of creating something out of nothing. An attempted clearance cannoned off De Bruyne's foot, and deflected into the path of Bernardo Silva, who deftly flicked the ball past the advancing goalkeeper to restore City's lead on the stroke of halftime.

The second half was normal service resumed for City. Copenhagen didn't have an attacking sniff all half, as City moved the ball around effortlessly the entire half.

Pep Guardiola's side had a few chances, with De Bruyne, Foden, Erling Haaland and Jeremy Doku all coming close to giving City a two goal cushion.

But their crowning glory came in injury time, as fine link up play down the left hand side involving Foden, De Bruyne and Matheus Nunes saw the Englishman fire into the back of the net to all but seal City's place in the last eight of the Champions League.

That final piece of build up play down the right - showing Foden and De Bruyne's link up at its very, very best - perfectly summarised City's evening. They were largely magnificent, bar a period in the first half, as they showed their vast superiority over very tough opponents.

Mauricio Pochettino's Chelsea, an incredibly inconsistent side but one that can always cause problems, await City next, as they face off at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday evening.

This is before City's game in hand at home to Brentford on Tuesday, which will hopefully see City go top of the league outright, assuming they beat both Chelsea and Brentford.

Here are the player ratings for the knockout victory away in Europe: Ederson - 6/10 - At fault for the goal, as he was unusually casual in possession. Other than that, he had very little to do. Distributed well, came off his line a few times and kept his head after his uncharacteristic mistake.

Walker - 6.5/10 - A few nervy moments where he was almost caught out early on, but it was a generally solid performance from Walker. City's captain did his limited amount of defending well, and popped off a few nice one touch passes under pressure to help City maintain the ball.

Stones - 8.5/10 - A vintage John Stones performance. It is so good to have him fit again, roaming around midfield shuttling the ball about and passing it forwards to De Bruyne and Foden on the right hand side. Even made a few positive runs into the box, which should've been found by one of his City teammates.

Dias - 8.5/10 - I thought Dias was excellent last night - he was incredibly aggressive and dominant in ground duels and passed the ball almost flawlessly. Good to see him linking up with Stones again - that partnership will be crucial to City's run in as they look to win the treble again.

Ake - 7.5/10 - Another solid game from Ake, who continues to barely put a foot wrong whether starting at left back or centre back. Along with Walker, Stones and Dias, Ake has more or less solidified his position in City's strongest defence.

Rodri - 6.5/10 - Whilst Rodri was still solid and dependable in midfield, he was noticeably slightly off the pace, misplacing a few more passes than he usually does. He looked tired, so he'll hopefully be given a match off either in the second leg against Copenhagen or in the FA Cup tie away to Luton, in order to ensure his fitness in the run in.

De Bruyne - 9.5/10 - At his very best from the first minute to the last. De Bruyne looked exceptionally sharp and decisive when with the ball, and always looked like the most likely player to make a difference. Took his goal superbly well, and was only unfortunate to have his cut back for Foden's goal not officially count as an assist.

Bernardo - 8.5/10 - Very involved, as he drifted around the pitch alternating between playing the left sided 8, right sided 8 and right winger. Scored a very intelligent goal to cap off a performance of the very highest quality.

Foden - 9.5/10 - Sparkling out on the right wing, Foden was heavily involved all the way through. With a goal and an assist to take him above double figures in all competitions for both statistics, Foden has stepped up his level this season and can now be considered one of City's most important players.

Haaland - 7/10 - Held the ball up well and attracted defenders towards him with his presence alone. It was his movement that allowed Foden space for the third goal of the game, highlighting his importance on the pitch when he's fit.

Grealish - 7/10 - Started the game very well, winning multiple free kicks and linking up well with Ake, Bernardo and De Bruyne. So unfortunate with his injury, which we can only hope isn't as serious as it looks.

Substitutes:

Doku - 6.5/10 - Showed a few moments of individual brilliance, and was less wasteful with the ball than he has been recently. He was fairly quiet throughout, however, with Copenhagen affording him limited space.

Nunes - 7/10 - Looked fairly sharp off the bench, and played a big role in the third goal. Much better from the Portuguese midfielder, who will look to build on this performance when next given the opportunity to impress from the off.