MATCH REPORT AND PLAYER RATINGS - MANCHESTER CITY 3-2 RB LEIPZIG

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After a first half display that left a lot to be desired, Manchester City fought back to beat RB Leipzig at the Etihad Stadium and seal first place in Group G of the UEFA Champions League.

Despite playing a stronger team than many expected, with key players Rodri, Erling Haaland, Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias and Phil Foden all starting, it was arguably City's worst team performance at home under manager Pep Guardiola, largely due to poor individual performances from usually reliable sources.

Swiss defender Manuel Akanji made a huge lapse in judgement as he allowed a long ball from Leipzig goalkeeper Janis Blaswich to surpass him and Lois Openda with a 1 vs 1 opportunity against Stefan Ortega-Moreno, which the Belgian forward took with aplomb.

Openda bagged his second goal of the game after spinning past Dias on the halfway line, before cutting inside from the left hand side and finishing clinically past Ortega-Moreno at the near post.

The Blues' wobbliness isn't to say that they didn't create chances; Dias, Haaland and Rico Lewis all had huge opportunities to score, meaning that it wouldn't have been out of the question that City would've been leading at the break.

But, as it was, they were trailing by two goals, and needed inspiration in the second half. They found it through their three early second half substitutes: Nathan Ake, Julian Alvarez and Jeremy Doku, who replaced Dias, Kyle Walker and Jack Grealish respectively.

Seconds after Alvarez and Doku came on, City pulled a goal back through Haaland, who darted in behind the backline from Phil Foden's pass to slot past Blaswich and score his fifth Champions League goal of the campaign.

Foden was involved again as City drew level, as he received Josko Gvardiol's pass on the half turn, took it on the turn and slipped the ball into the bottom corner between a defender's legs.

The comeback was complete as Foden's deflected cross landed at Alvarez's feet, he kept his cool to slam the ball into the bottom right corner and give City the three points that their second half performance deserved.

As mentioned above, it was the directness of Doku, goalscoring threat of Alvarez and the composure and solidity of Ake that combined to help City beat Leipzig. However, there was another change made that got City back into the game, and it was a tactical one.

For the vast majority of the first period, City played with Walker high and wide on the right hand side. This allowed Bernardo to invert and form a tight midfield three with Foden and Lewis in the centre of the pitch, leaving Rodri as a solo pivot.

City were struggling on the right; with Walker unable to always stay high and wide and play at right back, and Bernardo unsure about his positioning, it meant City were often left without any outlet at all on the right hand side, meaning Leipzig were comfortable defending narrowly.

When Alvarez replaced Walker, Lewis, who had been largely ineffective in the centre of midfield, moved to right back, where he tucked inside into more of a balanced number 8 role, to support Rodri in deeper positions and Alvarez and Foden in more advanced areas.

This means Bernardo, who struggled in a strange hybrid role in the first half, moved out wide, where he was often left isolated in promising 1 vs 1 situations. This saw his performance improve, as he played in a more familiar role for both himself and the team.

The strength of character shown by the treble winners to come back and win from two goals down is a promising sign that they'll be competing for titles again come the end of the season.

With the team likely to improve once Kevin de Bruyne and John Stones are reintegrated after serious injuries, the fact that City are already comfortable in the Champions League and in a good place in the Premier League is an ominous sign for the rest of European football.

Here are the player ratings for the comeback at the Etihad:

Ortega-Moreno - 6/10 - Whilst there wasn't much he could've done realistically for either of Openda's goals, the German goalkeeper could arguably have improved with his distribution. Other than that, however, he had a solid game, with not a lot to do.

Walker - 6/10 - Walker was arguably too hasty when flying forward in the press for Openda's second goal. Other than that, he made no real mistakes, but had very little to note before his early second half substitution.

Akanji - 5.5/10 - Had a generally solid game, with a few nice interventions and good defensive positioning. However, he made an absolute howler for the first goal, by completely switching off to allow Openda in behind him very easily to score.

Dias - 4.5/10 - His worst performance for City by some distance, unfortunately, which goes to show his very high standards. Dias looked uneasy and shaky for the majority of the night and was definitely to blame for the second goal by letting Openda spin past him on the halfway line.

Gvardiol - 7.5/10 - City's best defender on the day, Gvardiol looked the most assured at the back. Plus, his excellent crisp forward pass was crucial in Foden's goal to allow City to draw level.

Rodri - 5/10 - I do not remember a performance from Rodri in which I've seen so many misplaced passes in one half of football. The Spaniard was left isolated by City's system, and he certainly suffered in that role. He grew more into the game however, as he was aided by Lewis, and City's performance got subsequently better.

Lewis - 7/10 - Largely anonymous in a midfield role, as City's system meant he was left with limited space to receive the ball. Improved hugely in the second period at right back, and finished as one of City's better performers on the night.

Foden - 7/10 - Was incredibly, incredibly poor in the first half; he kept losing the ball and was unable to create anything positive. However, he was much sharper and more dominant in the second half, and had a strong hand in all three of City's goals.

Bernardo - 6.5/10 - Like with Lewis, Bernardo had an ineffective first half, but improved in the second period playing in a different role. The 29 year old is a crucial member of City's team at the moment wherever he plays, and is bang in form to boot.

Haaland - 7/10 - His touch and build up play was a little looser than usual, but he took his goal superbly to give City a foothold to get back into the match.

Grealish - 6.5/10 - The 28 year old is getting a lot of unnecessary criticism from City fans for his performance. Yes, he lacked a decisive edge when going forward, but he was one of City's best performers in the first half, and was certainly better than Foden before his early substitution.

Substitutes:

Ake - 7.5/10 - Excellent performance from Ake off the bench, to steady the ship and get City back on track with his experience, solidity and leadership. Also, he showed a promising range of forward passing, including an excellent slipped through pass to Doku near the end.

Doku - 6.5/10 - Despite being fairly quiet, he was positive in the actions he had, and beat his defender numerous times to help provide City with a different attacking option.

Alvarez - 6.5/10 - Put a shift in with aggressive pressing and running. Took his goal very well, but other than that, like Doku, he didn't have many touches. However, his presence on the pitch helped City play better and more accomplished as a team.