Aguero 3' (pen), 20',
Negredo 30', 51', 90'
‘Beauty and the Beast’
seal last 16 qualification for the first time in City history.
The Etihad
Stadium was treated to another five Manchester City goals on Tuesday night as Álvaro Negredo and Sergio Agüero ran
riot in a 5-2 win over CSKA Moscow.
Manuel
Pellegrini’s impressive Champions League credentials were on the line before
the crucial tie in Manchester, but his side were in fine form to seal a
comprehensive victory that fired them into the last sixteen for the first time
in their history.
It took only
three minutes for the home side to proceed in punishing the visitors when David
Silva was clumsily brought down by Zoran Tošić inside the box. Sergio Agüero subsequently stepped up to net his 13th
goal of the season.
Sergio Aguero expertly puts away his penalty kick.
The penalty
may have gone down as Agüero’s easiest
goal of the season so far, but the prolific Argentine wasn’t about to stop
there. Just seventeen minutes later, City’s top scorer latched onto an exquisite
40 yard ball from Samir Nasri, silkily span his defender and finely finished
into Igor Akinfeev’s bottom corner.
The team celebrate Sergio's second.
Manuel’s
minions were marching to yet another vivacious victory on home soil and Sergio’s
strike partner Álvaro Negredo
wanted in on the act. On the thirty minute mark, Sergio Agüero teed up his Spanish sidekick who tapped
in to give City a 3-0 lead. Goals were a problem for Mancini’s side last
season, but ‘Beauty and the Beast’ (as Agüero and
Negredo have been recently nicknamed) seem to have no trouble finding the net
this campaign.
Alvaro Negredo gets in on the act.
The blues
were teasing the Russians with their tantalising football with Samir Nasri propelling
City’s skilful midfield. The Frenchman seems to have returned to the form he
was producing in his Arsenal days and City fans were able to witness the
midfielder at his very best on Tuesday night.
However, on
the halfway mark, the budding Premier League champions gifted the visitors a
goal through a lazy defensive error. Seydou Doumbia raced onto a penetrating
through ball to round Costel Pantillimon and generate some hope for his
trailing side. Defensive frailties have been characteristic of Manchester City’s
play this season and they were highlighted once again.
The half
time shock sprung Pellegrini’s men back into life and just six minutes after
the restart, Yaya Toure chipped in a luxurious ball to Samir Nasri who
selflessly teed the ball into Alvaro Negredo for his second of the evening.
Negredo latches onto a selfless Nasri pass to grab his second of the night.
City’s tika-taka
play up top was mesmerising, but their leaky defence always looked vulnerable.
The Russians were gifted yet another goal midway into the second half when Gael
Clichy needlessly pulled back Seydou Doumbia inside the penalty area. The
speedy Ivorian stepped up for his second of the night.
The scoring
didn’t finish there as the home side pushed for more goals in true Pellegrini
style. With seconds left to play, substitute James Milner skilfully took on his
marker and chipped to present Negredo with his third. The left-foot,
right-foot, header perfect hat-trick marked the Spaniard’s 9th goal
of the season for Manchester City and he has proven to be a shrewd bit of
business.
The superb Spaniard secures his hat-trick
Progression
into the last sixteen imprints a hefty stamp on Manchester City’s history and
although we may possess the most potent strikeforce in the competition, our
defence still needs work.
Player Ratings
Costel Pantillimon 6One instance of flapping could have proven costly, but the big Romanian looked in control throughout without having much to do.
Pablo Zabaleta 7Strong challenges and surging runs gave the Argentine the freedom of the right side and he looked lively throughout.
Martin Demichelis 7His experience helped in organising the defence and a string of strong challenges let the visitors know that they were in a game.
Matija Nastasic 7Slow off the mark for Doumbia's first but recovered well and put in a solid performance.
Gael Clichy 6Stained a comfortable display with a needless challenge on Doumbia. Often looks prone to error.
Samir Nasri 9Superb display from the Frenchman who played with CSKA's defence. His magical footwork had heads spinning and he was spreading the ball around for fun. Two assists.
Fernandino 7Held in the middle allowing the quality in front of him to dance around with the ball. Substituted at half time.
Yaya Toure 7With Nasri and Silva tantalising the Russian defence, Yaya opted for a deeper role.
David Silva 8Another impressive show from the Spaniard in a ubiquitous performance. Brought down for the penalty and rarely lost the ball.
Sergio Aguero 8
There's no wonder Sergio has been linked away from the club on numerous occasions this season. The Argentine can not stop scoring and he seems to be forming a frightening bond with Negredo up top.
Alvaro Negredo 9A perfect hat-trick from the 'Beast' who has made a dazzling start to his City career.
Substitutes
Milner 7 - Nice bit of skill to assist Negredo
Kolarov 7 - Got forward well and produced a number of dangerous crosses
Navas - 6 - didn't influence the game
