DYNAMO KIEV 1, MANCHESTER CITY 3 (Champions League Round of 16 – 1st Leg)
Joe Hart pushes Andriy Yarmolenko’s cross onto the bar after four minutes
Sergio Aguero opens the scoring after 15 minutes
David Silva caps fine first half performance with 40th minute goal
Vitaly Buyalskiy reduces the deficit as Kiev are resurgent in the second half
Buyalskiy’s late chance saved by Hart
Yaya Toure heads an sitter wide towards the end before restoring City’s 2-goal lead with a much more difficult left-footed strike
City have only kept four clean sheets in 35 Champions League games, and none in the last nine
Manchester City returned to winning ways with a 3-1 Champions League win against a ring-rusty Dynamo Kiev side with first half goals by Sergio Aguero and David Silva.
City were superb in the first half but their hosts improved in the second half and scored one to provide a glimmer of hope although City remain in the driving seat after a last minute goal by Yaya Toure to take control of the tie in Kiev.
Manuel Pellegrini named a full strength team from his available players following 5-1 FA Cup defeat at Chelsea after the Chilean made ten changes and was vindicated for his decision to effectively sacrifice the FA Cup for further progress in the Champions League.
Only Fernando retained his place in the side from that game, and was almost the same team that lost to Spurs last week – with fit-again Bacary Sagna replacing Pablo Zabaleta.
Joe Hart, Vincent Kompany, Nicolas Otamendi, Gael Clichy, Fernandinho, Yaya Toure, David Silva, Raheem Sterling, and Sergio Aguero also come into the side while Eliaquim Mangala was fit enough to be named on the bench.
Pellegrini claimed that changes to the fixture list forced them into the gamble that saw six EDS players used at Stamford Bridge and they subsequently faced a Kiev side that had not played a competitive game for 11 weeks.
The Chilean pulled off a tactical masterstroke by playing David Silva centrally behind Sergio Aguero, with Fernandinho patrolling the right flank while protecting Sagna.
Straight away it was evident that a fresh City side had come to win the ball and punish a ring-rusty Dynamo Kiev side who didn’t look at the races although they had the first goal chance after just four minutes.
Joe Hart fumbled a high cross from Andriy Yarmolenko and was relieved to see it bounce off the crossbar.
That was the extent of the early nerves for City as they introduced plenty of movement and high pressing to deprive Kiev of the ball and create chances.
It took 15 minutes for Sergio Aguero to open the scoring, latching on to and scoring from Yaya Toure’s knock-down of David Silva’s corner.
Aguero spurned a chance to double City’s lead seven minutes later as Kiev lost the ball and City counter attacked but the Argentine wasted the opportunity laid on by Fernando by driving wide from the right.
Toure was denied by Olexander Shovkovsky after Aguero put him through on 35 minutes as City continued to press the Ukraine side in the first half.
Silva had been given the freedom of the stadium and his shot was charged down by Yevhan Khacheridi but he wasn’t to be denied after Aguero’s backheel released Raheem Sterling who crossed the ball for the Spaniard to finish another counter attack five minutes before the break.
Aguero wasted a chance to end the tie as he shot wide before the break.
Kiev improved after the break, retaining the ball much better, and Hart was there to beat away a Yarmolenko free kick.
And City were full of clearances as Kiev applied pressure with substitute striker Junior Moraes testing the City defence and Yarmolenko worryingly finding some form with the ball with his range of passing worrying the visitors.
City couldn’t find a reply apart from through a half chance when Sterling went down in the area after going past Aleksandar Dragovic although a penalty was rightfully denied.
The warning signs were there but City didn’t heed them as Vitaly Buyalskiy hauled Kiev back into the game in the 58th minute when he beat an unsighted Hart with a deflected shot off Otamendi from outside the area.
City finally roused themselves from their second half torpor and almost scored with 13 minutes to go with a double chance for Aguero but Shovkovskiy made the save after Aguero had failed to connect with his first chance.
Hart still had to be alert to dive low to his right to tip away a placed effort by Buyalskiy after Yarmolenko beat Clichy once again with 11 minutes to go.
And Toure wasted the perfect chance to restore City’s two goal lead when he headed the ball wide when five yards out after meeting Sterling’s cross.
But the Ivorian wasn’t to be denied when he redeemed himself after he put away a much more difficult chance with a sweet left-footed curling strike from the edge of the area in the last minute to beat Shovkovskiy after exchanging passes with Fernandinho.
It was his first Champions League goal in 730 minutes, and City will look forward positively towards progressing to the quarter-finals in March having given themselves a fighting chance to reach the last eight.