Manchester City 7, RB Leipzig 0 (Champions League Round of 16, Manchester City win 8-1 on aggregate)
Erling Haaland scored 5 goals as Manchester City blew away RB Leipzig to proceed to the Champions League quarter finals with a 7-0 win.
By the time Ilkay Gundogan had scored City’s fourth the game was long over and the Norwegian goal machine, who already had a first half hat trick, went on to score another two in the second half against the shell-shocked Germans before leaving it to Kevin De Bruyne to score a 7th in injury time – equalling their record win in the Champions League.
Amazingly, Haaland now has 39 goals in just 36 games for the Blues.
Yet the game could have gone a different way had VAR not intervened for the harsh opening penalty against Benjamin Henrichs.
Referee Slavko Vincic also chose not to get involved after Ederson came out of his area to clatter Konrad Laimer but that was all before the game had run away from the Germans by the beginning of the second half.
Embed from Getty ImagesPLAYER RATINGS – Manchester City 7, RB Leipzig 0 (Champions League Round of 16, Manchester City win 8-1 on aggregate)
Ederson: 6. Clattered into Konrad Laimer after racing out of the box to get the ball and was lucky to get away without censure – Timo Werner got the booking for complaining about it. Acrobatically dived after a late Andre Silva shot.
John Stones: 7. Inverted into midfield, not his natural role but did decently against the Leipzig midfielders. Got a good cross in as well.
Manuel Akanji: 8. Occasionally untidy at the back but generally solid and mopped up well, almost scored a goal himself but Erling Haaland finished off for him and he was tirelessly defending till the end.
Ruben Dias: 7. Towering header deserved a goal but Erling Haaland was at hand for the tap in.
Nathan Ake: 7. Great raking pass forward to find Erling Haaland, deserved a matching finish.
Rodri: 6. Early headed chance blocked. Mistake in build-up allowed Timo Werner a shot on goal which he missed.
Kevin De Bruyne: 9. Flashes of his talent with balls into the box, deserved a goal early on but saw one effort came back off the crossbar and Erling Haaland finished. With Haaland off he scored a 7th in injury time to
Ilkay Gundogan: 8. Blazed over a golden opportunity early on and had another saved by Janis Blaswich. Finally got one deserved goal after 49 minutes.
Bernardo Silva: 7. Good close control and footwork to link midfield and attack. Pressed the Leipzig left flank.
Jack Grealish: 8. Bit wasteful down the left, which attracted the ire of Pep Guardiola. Shot deflected over at the end of a great City move. Was looking for a penalty partway through the first half but set up the goal for Ilkay Gundogan.
Erling Haaland: 10. First half hat trick – one from penalty spot, one off a rebound to leave City in control, and the last one a tap-in when Ruben Dias’ header was blocked. Had other efforts blocked by Janis Blaswich but finished off two rebounds from the luckless keeper to make it 5 for the night. Heavily involved when dropping deep too.
Riyad Mahrez (on for Ilkay Gündoğan, 55): 6. Plenty of dangerous runs. Looks like he wants his place in the side back.
Phil Foden (on for Jack Grealish, 55): 6. Good runout. Didn’t look hampered.
Kalvin Phillips (on for Rodri, 64): 6. Game already won by the time he came on.
Sergio Gomez (on for John Stones, 64): 6. Did decently after coming on. Carried the ball forward and inverted into midfield.
Julian Alvarez (on for Erling Haaland, 64): 6. Hard to follow 5-goal Haaland. Had a shot blocked.
GOALS – Manchester City 7, RB Leipzig 0 (Champions League Round of 16, Manchester City win 8-1 on aggregate)
Man City 1, RB Leipzig 0: 22. After a VAR check confirmed a handball against Benjamin Henrichs it was left to Erling Haaland to score the opening goal from the penalty spot, drilled into the bottom right hand corner.
Man City 2, RB Leipzig 0: 24. Kevin De Bruyne got the ball off Erling Haaland, fired it against the crossbar where it bounced down and Haaland was on hand to head the rebound into the net.
Man City 3, RB Leipzig 0: 45+2. Ruben Dias jumped high and headed Kevin De Bruyne’s looping corner but thanks to some desperate defending the ball rolled along the goal line where – yes – Erling Haaland arrived for a very easy tap-in.
Man City 4, RB Leipzig 0: 49. Ilkay Gündoğan fired in City’s 4th from 15 yards out after a cutback from Jan Grealish
Man City 5, RB Leipzig 0: 54. Erling Haaland’s close range shot was saved by Janis Blaswich but the big Norwegian was there for the rebound, hitting it in with the help of a deflection from Josko Gvardiol.
Man City 6, RB Leipzig 0: 57. Erling Haaland finished off the rebound from close range after Janis Blaswich saved from Manuel Akanji.
Man City 7, RB Leipzig 0: 90+2. Kevin De Bruyne with a curling 20 yard drive after a square pass by Riyad Mahrez against a demoralised Leipzig side who had stopped running.
MATCH STATS – Manchester City 7, RB Leipzig 0 (Champions League Round of 16, Manchester City win 8-1 on aggregate)
Man City: Ederson, Stones (Gomez 64), Akanji, Dias, Ake, Rodri (Phillips 64), De Bruyne, Gundogan (C) (Mahrez 55), Bernardo Silva, Grealish (Foden 55), Haaland (Alvarez 63)
Man City Subs Not Used: Ortega, Carson, Walker, Laporte, Perrone, Palmer, Lewis
Booking: De Bruyne (Dissent 67)
Goals: Haaland 22 pen, 24, 45+2, 54, 57; Gundogan 49; De Bruyne 90+2
RB Leipzig: Blaswich, Henrichs (Klostermann 80), Orban (C), Gvardiol, Raum, Laimer, Kampl, Haidara (Simaken 63), Szoboszlai, Forsberg (Andre Silva 63), Werner (Poulsen 63)
RB Leipzig Subs not used: Nyland, Nickisch, Olmo, Halstenberg, Ba
Bookings: Henrichs (handball), Werner (dissent 34)
Referee: Slavko Vincic