Marcus Rashford’s eighth-minute thunderbolt gave United the lead against the run of play and it looked like the visitors might put a dent in City’s hopes of a fourth successive crown.
Browsing: Phil Foden
Further goals would not have flattered them, with the left-flank work of Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva particularly fruitful
Goals by Phil Foden and Erling Haaland put the champions in cruise control within 15 minutes but Rodri’s red card one minute into the second period after he grappled with Morgan Gibbs-White meant City had to work hard to seal the victory.
Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva struck either side of the half-time whistle for the champions, who withstood a 10-minute period of pressure from Eddie Howe’s men but were otherwise untroubled en route to a straightforward success.
The 22-year-old England midfielder is a boyhood Manchester City fan and crown jewel of its modern academy system.
Haaland has scored a league record nine goals in five games since joining City from Borussia Dortmund
All eyes were on the prolific Norwegian after his Premier League bow brought a match-winning brace at West Ham last weekend, but instead it was Ilkay Gundogan, Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden who did the damage at the Etihad Stadium before a late own goal from Jefferson Lerma.
Saka’s teammate, Emile Smith Rowe, has also been nominated, along with Crystal Palace’s Conor Gallagher, who spent the 2021-22 season on loan from Chelsea, and Aston Villa’s Jacob Ramsey.
The Belgian playmaker fired home from a tight angle after Phil Foden came off the bench to stunning effect in a tense and tight first leg at the Etihad Stadium.
Video footage of the incident has emerged on social media, with City forward Foden being heckled by unidentified members of the public while backstage at the Manchester Arena.
The Citizens are currently nine points clear of second-placed Liverpool at the summit, while Tottenham occupy eighth position, seven points behind fourth-placed Manchester United.
In a fast-paced and entertaining clash, Phil Foden’s early first half opener had been cancelled by a John Stones own goal with the Belgian side proving dangerous opponents.
A close game with few clear-cut opportunities always ran the risk of being settled with spot-kicks and so it proved.
Manchester City opened the scoring after 13 minutes but had been denied by Lewis Dunk just moments earlier.
The 21-year-old has become integral to the City team, starring as they reached a first-ever Champions League final last season.
The 21-year-old was conspicuous by his absence as the Three Lions made their final preparations for Sunday’s date with destiny against the Azzurri at Wembley.
After catching the eye in the final group game against Czech Republic, a performance for which he won UEFA’s ‘Star of the match’ award, Saka will hope to retain his place in the starting line-up for the eagerly-anticipated last-16 clash at Wembley on Tuesday.
Sterling broke through the middle of the Croatian defence and ran onto the end of a pass from Kalvin Phillips to fire home his 57th minute marker and get England off to a winning start in Group D.
The prize money was increased to £180 million after the Premier League’s broadcasting deals from 2019-20 season.
Leading 2-1 from the first leg at the Etihad, City were in danger of a fourth successive quarter-final exit when Jude Bellingham’s first Champions League goal put the German side ahead on away goals.