MATCH REPORT AND PLAYER RATINGS - MANCHESTER CITY 3-0 YOUNG BOYS

Image courtesy of 90min.com

A brace from Erling Haaland saw Manchester City cruise to a comfortable victory over Young Boys to seal their qualification for the UEFA Champions League Round of 16, in a match marred only by the injury to John Stones.

After a stunning pre-match lights show, City were hit with an early blow that Manuel Akanji withdrew from the starting lineup due to a back injury, which is hopefully only a minor issue. Kyle Walker came into the starting eleven instead, and ended up captaining the side in Kevin de Bruyne's continued absence.

Despite this early issue, City started the game well, as they controlled the ball and looked to carve out chances for Haaland, who was deemed fit enough to start after an ankle injury forced him off at the interval in City's 6-1 victory against Bournemouth at the weekend.

The Norwegian got his first chance of the game from the penalty spot, after Matheus Nunes was fouled in the box by Sandro Lauper. Haaland kept his cool to send the goalkeeper the wrong way and give City the goal their dominance deserved.

Right before the break, City doubled their lead in fine circumstances, as Phil Foden collected Jack Grealish's impressive cross field pass, beat his man on the outside and tucked the ball in the far corner from a tight angle, to score in his third consecutive game for the Blues.

And Haaland sealed the match with a thumping effort from the edge of the box that whistled past Anthony Racioppi and into the top right corner.

But, before that, Stones was replaced at half time by Nathan Ake, for what appeared to be a tactical choice. However, it was revealed by Pep Guardiola after the game that the Englishman had actually suffered from a recurrence of the muscle injury that kept him out at the start of the season, which is terrible news for him and City.

Lauper, who was playing aggressively all game, was sent off two minutes after the third goal after a late crunching tackle on Ake earned him a second yellow card.

This allowed City to rotate and rest players for the upcoming Premier League fixtures, with Oscar Bobb and Kalvin Phillips getting minutes on the pitch, and prevented Walker and Haaland - the substituted players - from picking up an injury on a night where they'd already lost two key players.

With 12 points out of 12, City can now afford to rotate in their remaining two fixtures in the Champions League, and put their priorities on their tough Premier League run, with their next 4 matches coming against Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa.

Also, we saw the 3-1-3-3 system that City have used recently in action again, which worked successfully. Stones, and then Ake, pushed up from defence to play as the single pivot, whilst Nunes, Rico Lewis and Mateo Kovacic formed a narrow midfield 3.

This allowed City to create chances, as having technically good players on the ball in the tight midfield spaces helped to control the game high up the pitch, and get the ball into Haaland at the right time.

With his 14th and 15th goals of the season, Haaland is looking like re-entering the sort of form that made him an inevitable goal scoring threat last season. The 23 year old's performances will be crucial in City's next few games, as they look to put down a marker by winning all four of their upcoming difficult Premier League matches.

Tottenham and Liverpool have been in excellent form so far this season, whilst Villa's home record is imperious. Chelsea have suffered a bit more, but they have some excellent players and have the capability to hurt City, particularly at Stamford Bridge.

However, Guardiola's side will be the favourites for all 4 games, and will be eyeing 4 victories that'll strike fear into the hearts of all the remaining Premier League sides City will face this season.

Here are the player ratings for the win that sealed our place in the next round of the Champions League:

Ederson - 7/10 - Distribution was absolutely flawless, with one long range pass to Josko Gvardiol coming to mind. In terms of actual goalkeeping, bar catching a couple of crosses, he had literally nothing to do, with Young Boys failing to have a single shot all night.

Walker - 7.5/10 - A late inclusion to the side, Walker had an excellent game. His short passing was exquisite, as were his ambitious cross field balls to Grealish on the left hand side. In Stones's absence, Walker will be even more crucial to the squad than usual.

Dias - 8/10 - Had an excellent game at the back, and made a few good last man sliding tackles to stop a Young Boys attack. Helped build from the back too, with safe passes to more technically minded players.

Gvardiol - 7.5/10 - Looked solid and dependable down the left flank, as he adapts more and more into City's system. Offered a little going forward too, and would've scored had his ferocious left footed effort from a set piece not been well blocked by a Young Boys defender.

Stones - 7.5/10 - Controlled the first half from a deep lying midfield position, and looked even better when he swapped briefly with Lewis and played as a right sided 8. His injury is so, so unfortunate, and looks set to be leaving City without his services for potentially months, which is a huge blow, as without him, they need to change the way they play entirely.

Lewis - 7/10 - Aggressive and tenacious in midfield, and took the ball on the turn nicely a few times. Linked up well with fellow academy graduate Foden on the right hand side, and could've scored early on had his effort not been blocked on the line by a Young Boys defender.

Nunes - 7/10 - The 25 year old showed his positivity and directness on a few occasions, as he collected the ball and drove at the backline. However, his decision making was rash, and his final ball was occasionally off. Nevertheless, he had a good game, and showed that he has plenty of potential to become a key player for City in the next few seasons after his natural adaptation process is over.

Kovacic - 8/10 - After a few poor performances, Kovacic looked back to the very best we've seen from him since his move from Chelsea in the summer. The 29 year old was composed and silky in possession, and in Rodri's absence, helped win the ball back with bold interceptions and aggressive tackles. He also linked with Grealish down the left hand side very well, as he'd cover him out wide if the Englishman were to come inside into space.

Foden - 8/10 - The 23 year old appears to be adding elements of De Bruyne's game into his own, as evidenced by the direct, powerful runs he made into pockets. He took his goal superbly, and could've had another, as his fierce shot was beaten away by Racioppi.

Haaland - 8.5/10 - With another two goals to his name to take his Champions League tally up to four for the season, Haaland is now seemingly at the superstar stage where he is being asked to swap shirts at half time! City's number 9 is in a hot run of form, which has come at exactly the right time, as he'll be looking to score against Chelsea and Liverpool in the league for the first time in his City career.

Grealish - 8/10 - Other than a few loose passes that went astray, Grealish had a brilliant game down the left flank for City. He looked to drive positively at the Young Boys defence when cutting inside a few times, and played a magnificent pass to set up Foden. His change in the last few weeks from underwhelming form to being on fire has been quiet the comeback for the £100 million man, who despite criticism remains one of City's most important players.

Substitutes:

Ake - 7/10 - Playing in the "John Stones role" in the second half, Ake, who has played as a defensive midfielder before, did not look out of place. He did his limited defensive duties well, and helped City move the ball forward too.

Phillips - 6.5/10 - Didn't look out of place in the midfield, which was refreshing to see. Kept the ball well, and almost scored, with an excellent long range shot that was deflected wide.

Bobb - 6.5/10 - Had a few nice touches, and linked up well with Foden, with some slick one touch passes.

Doku - 6.5/10 - Despite playing 10 minutes, Doku completed more dribbles than any other player, not just in that game, but in all the Champions League games on Tuesday night. This astonishing stat tells you all you need to know about Doku, who is quickly making himself undroppable. He linked up well with Grealish when Grealish moved in as a left sided 8, which could be a future tactic to watch out for in the coming games.