Manchester City set a new Champions League record as they swept aside Sparta Prague 5-0 at the Etihad on Wednesday.
City made it a record-breaking 26 games unbeaten over 90 minutes in the competition, courtesy of goals from Phil Foden, John Stones, Matheus Nunes and an Erling Haaland brace.
Guardiola’s side now move one ahead of fierce rivals Manchester United, who recorded 25 Champions League games without defeat under Sir Alex Ferguson between 2007 and 2009.
Champions League goals:
Haaland – 44
Drogba – 44
Neymar – 43
Del Piero – 42He’s still only 24 years old 🤯 pic.twitter.com/SiW5phZKC7
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 23, 2024
The UK has had four different Prime Ministers since City last tasted defeat in normal time in Europe, a run stretching back to September 2022.
And Guardiola’s team were on their way to extending that feat inside three minutes.
Foden, one of five players brought into the side following the 2-1 win over Wolves on Sunday, took the ball on the half-turn before gliding between two Sparta players and arrowing a left-footed strike into the far corner of the net.
From there, City predictably dominated possession, with the visitors, back in the Champions League after 19 years, seemingly content to get bodies behind the ball.
Stones, the matchwinner against Wolves, picked up a booking for a mistimed challenge on the halfway line after seven minutes before Haaland’s downward header drew a fine stop from Sparta goalkeeper Peter Vindahl.
The touch.
The quick feet.
The finish.Phil Foden strikes first and gives Man City an early lead ✨
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/2xv9nG16gt
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 23, 2024
On 35-minutes, Vindahl was again called into action when Foden unleashed another left-footed drive that the Danish stopper had to palm away.
Stefan Ortega in the City goal then had to be alert to keep out Veljko Birmancevic’s low strike in a rare venture into City’s defensive third for the visitors.
But despite being in the lead, Guardiola looked far from a happy going into half-time, perhaps due to his side not fully capitalising on their dominance.
Almost immediately after the restart, however, his players appeared to heed their manager’s frustration.
From a corner, the returning Nathan Ake thought he had doubled City’s lead when he bundled the ball over the line at the second attempt. But the goal was eventually ruled out for handball following a VAR check.
Haaland, who by his standards had cut a largely anonymous figure for most of the game, then did make it two when he popped up with a remarkable piece of improvisation on 58-minutes.
Savinho did well to get to the byline before chipping a cross to the near post where the Norwegian leapt into the air and backheeled the ball into the net to move onto 43 Champions League goals.
ACROBATIC BACK-HEEL! 🤯
43 goals in 42 Champions League games for Erling Haaland… and this one was scored in style 🤖
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/hgwjPgSHTD
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 23, 2024
It was an astonishing, acrobatic finish that gave the hosts lift off. Sparta could do little to withstand the resulting onslaught, as less than ten minutes later, Stones added a third when he headed Nunes’ cross into the top corner.
The hosts were well and truly in full flow, oozing confidence as Haaland helped himself to a second five minutes later when he sent a right-footed finish into the bottom corner after a slick passing move.
City’s number nine would not, however, get the chance to claim a hattrick and gave a wry smile when he was replaced on 80 minutes, with Guardiola handing a Champions League debut to 19-year-old Nico O’Reilly.
But that was not to be the end of the action as Nunes grabbed a fifth when was fouled in the box with two minutes of the 90 left to play.
The Portuguese midfielder picked himself up to dispatch the resulting penalty, sending Vindahl the wrong way in the process.
For the visitors, who had come into the contest unbeaten in the competition this term, it was perhaps something of a reality check.
For City, meanwhile, the result was one that many will have predicted before kick-off. But with it, Guardiola’s side again look a force to be reckoned with in this season’s Champions League.
