• 9 hours ago
Our reporter Michael Plant gives his thoughts after Manchester City's Champions League win over Sparta Prague.
Transcript
00:00I'm at the Etihad after tonight Manchester City beat Sparta Prague 5-0 in the Champions League
00:04But I think straight away the big talking point has got to be Erling Haaland
00:08It's not the first time I've said that after a Manchester City game
00:10But even for his standards the goal he scored tonight really was just absolutely ludicrous
00:15It's a goal that he's almost difficult to describe and words almost don't really do justice just how
00:20Impossible it was to score the goal that he did but across him for Savino was a kind of bum height
00:25I'm behind him and somehow he managed to flick a heel at it and managed to guide it into the back of the net and
00:31Haaland does score a very special goals as I say, but even he knew from his reaction that that was particularly
00:37memorable that one and I puffed his cheeks out in a
00:40Almost a ridiculous reaction from him. They were just an absolutely ridiculous goal
00:44But overall and I the city played well in and struggled at times to break Sparta down in the first half
00:49I'm although Phil Foden did score after three minutes a really good goal from him. He played in centre midfield tonight
00:54I thought he played really well coming back in for one of his first starts in a while in the city team
00:59but after that
01:03Frustrating first half
01:05Frustrating first half. Sorry apologies about someone shouting there and yeah, it's a bit frustrating for City
01:10But they did manage to get the goals in the second half
01:13I thought in the first half to play with intensity
01:15But maybe just like that penetration at times that came in the second half courtesy of Haaland
01:19He got to one of which as I mentioned was ridiculous. The other was a really sublime
01:23well taken finish from a team goal from a bit of a counter-attack actually when City seemed to kind of
01:28Sit deeper and almost invite Sparta onto them and then try to push into the spaces provided John stones also scored a header
01:35And Mateus Nunez who played out left had a really good night
01:38He won a penalty and then converted it from the spot for his first Champions League goal
01:42It's a win that moves City up to seven points from three Champions League games and into the top eight
01:46Although very early in the competition, but they are in at this stage anyway in the automatic
01:52Qualification places, but I think also importantly they set a new Champions League record tonight
01:5626 unbeaten in this competition if we don't count the penalties defeat to Real Madrid
02:01Which certainly UEFA don't and definitely Man City don't and but yeah
02:04It's such a new record overtaking a record from Ferguson's Manchester United team
02:08I think around the time they won the Champions League in 2005. They went 25 games unbeaten in this competition
02:13So 26 for City today, they keep setting records. They keep proving time and time again
02:16They are very much amongst Europe's elite not just this year
02:19But going back many years over the Champions League great night for them tonight 5-0 and they are looking in good shape as this
02:24Champions League group stage progresses

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