Champions League: Man City 5-1 AEK Athens

Manchester City produced a commanding display at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night, thrashing AEK Athens 5-1 in the Champions League.

City were ahead after 12 minutes and doubled their lead in the 34th to take a 2-0 advantage into the break. AEK pulled a goal back in the 52nd minute to raise hopes of a comeback, but City responded within five minutes to restore their two-goal cushion. They added a fourth in the 65th minute and a fifth in the 76th to complete the rout.

City dominant on the ball and in front of goal

City had 59 per cent of possession and took 14 shots to AEK’s 11, six of them on target. They also won eight corners to AEK’s three. The visitors struggled to get out of their own half for long spells, but they did find a way through for a consolation goal early in the second half.

City were disciplined as well as dominant, committing just six fouls and collecting a single yellow card, in the 59th minute. AEK were not booked all night.

Easy against a side that came in with points

AEK arrived in Manchester on three points from their opening league-phase games, level on points with City, according to a pre-match preview. City had won 2-0 at Porto in their previous outing. Before kick-off, AEK’s Barnabás Varga was identified as a danger man, with two goals from seven shots so far this season. The 5-1 scoreline was far beyond what most previews had suggested, with one predicting a narrow 1-0 City win.

What it means

The result is a big boost for City’s league-phase campaign, with a healthy goal difference to show for it. AEK, who were competitive in their earlier fixtures, will need a quick response as they look to stay in the hunt.