Erling Haaland once again wrote his name in Champions League history as Manchester City increased their chances of sealing a top-eight finish with a 4-1 win over Dortmund at the Etihad. The Norwegian sensation found the back of the net in the first half and continued his extraordinary goal-scoring form, becoming the first player to score in five consecutive Champions League games for three different clubs.
City had already taken the lead thanks to Phil Foden’s superb strike, but the 25-year-old added another goal in the second half to add to the Blues’ dominant performance. However, by allowing Dortmund to come back, they risked incurring the wrath of manager Josep Guardiola and could have made the game even closer than it should have been.
Substitute Rayan Cherki scored a late goal to seal the result. Here are the player ratings…
Donnarumma: Obviously frustrated by the goal conceded, but made some key interventions to prevent City from panicking late on. 7.
Nunez: Another impressive attacking performance, but he left his position frequently, allowing Dortmund to put pressure on in the final 20 minutes. 6.
Stones: A subdued but solid performance, a quiet night for an England international who has rarely featured. 7.
Gvardiol: We made some important tackles in the second half to keep Dortmund at bay, but it wasn’t anything special, but it was a satisfying result. 7.
O’Reilly: Almost scored his second goal in a week from Haaland’s pass and showed tireless energy throughout the game, but received an unnecessary booking. 6.
Gonzalez: He has been in good form since the game against Bournemouth, but will be disappointed with City’s lapses in the final stages of the game. 7.
Sabinho: He’s great when creating space against defenders, but he needs to improve his final performance. 7.
Lijnders: In the other game, he came close to scoring but couldn’t and struggled to maintain his energy level in the second half. 6.
Foden: City’s outstanding player, adjusting the play from deep and then moving forward as the game progresses. 8.
Doc: We started brightly in the first half, but we slumped in the second half and received a harsh rebuke from Guardiola after Dortmund’s goal. 6.
Haaland: He was outstanding once again, scoring a great goal and contributing defensively with assists for his teammates. 8.
substitute
Cerki (Doc, 79): Added another goal to the score. It wasn’t a bad week at all. 7.
Diaz (Lijnders, 79): Helped maintain tension at the back. 6.
Silva (Savigno, 79 years old): Solid performance without any problems. 6.
Ait Nouri (O’Reilly 85): We don’t have enough time to make an impact.
Marmouche (Haaland 85): We don’t have enough time to make an impact.
Unused substitutes: Trafford, Bettinelli, Ake, Kusanov, Lewis, Bobb.
