On a night of firsts for Manchester City, they could savour Raheem Sterling’s maiden Champions League hat-trick. If the only red card of Phil Foden’s career was a footnote, a superlative display by Sterling, who epitomises Pep Guardiola’s quest for perpetual, exponential improvement brought another milestone in his development. It was all the more remarkable as it came in 11 minutes and as he had already played a part in City’s first two goals. They scored five to give them a five-point lead in Group C. It was quite a turnaround after trailing to Atalanta. If Sergio Agüero’s double gave City a further reason to be relieved he escaped unhurt from a car crash last week, even he was overshadowed by Sterling.
Atalanta’s only previous game in England brought a 5-1 win. If there was scant chance of a repeat of that 2017 thrashing of Everton, there is an ambition to their approach that Pep Guardiola admires. Robin Gosens, who scored at Goodison Park, found space on the left flank and crossed for the opposite wing-back, Timothy Castagne, to head over. It was an early reprieve for City but nevertheless illustrated why Atalanta are Serie A’s top scorers again this season. While they began without their two most prolific players, with Duvan Zapata injured and Luis Muriel benched, Josip Ilicic, who was deputising in attack, drew a save from Ederson with a low drive and won a penalty.
Written by Richard Jolly at the Etihad Stadium
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/oct/22/manchester-city-atalanta-champions-league-match-report under the title “Sterling hat-trick helps 10-man Manchester City thrash Atalanta 5-1”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
