David Silva, Aymeric Laporte and substitute Bernardo Silva earned Manchester City a convincing 3-0 win at Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday evening.
Silva opened the scoring for a dominant Citizens side with a well-taken volley half an hour into the game, before Aymeric Laporte headed a deserved second into the back of the net.
City took their foot off the gas slightly in the second period, but they still added to their tally through Bernardo's edge-of-the-box strike 90 seconds after being brought off the bench.
Relive how the 90 minutes of action unfolded with Sports Mole's live text coverage below.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the Champions League meeting between Shakhtar Donetsk and Manchester City at the Metalist Oblast Sports Complex. The Citizens still have plenty of work to do if they are to progress from Group F as a result of their opening-game loss to Lyon, which they followed up with a 2-1 win at Hoffenheim last time out.
Having belatedly kicked their European campaign into gear with that slender victory in Germany a few weeks ago, the Citizens are now aiming to strengthen their hold on a top-two spot. Lyon currently lead the way as we approach the halfway mark, having collected four points from their two outings, while Shakhtar are on two points and Hoffenheim have one. It is therefore all still to play for in a competitive group.
MANCHESTER CITY TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Ederson; Stones, Laporte, Otamendi, Mendy; D.Silva, Fernandinho, De Bruyne; Sterling, Jesus, Mahrez
SUBS: Muric, Kompany, Aguero, Sane, Bernardo, Foden, Walker
Starting with a look at the visiting team, the big news is that Pep Guardiola has included Kevin De Bruyne in his starting lineup. The Belgian playmaker made his return to action following two months on the sidelines for the final 30 minutes of Saturday's 5-0 win at home to Burnley, and now he has - somewhat surprisingly - been thrown in from the off tonight. Fernandinho starts alongside him on his latest return to former club Shakhtar.
De Bruyne's return to the starting lineup for the first time in more than two months is one of four changes from that weekend win against Burnley, as Nicolas Otamendi, Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling are also recalled. Jesus takes over from the rested Sergio Aguero in the central striking role, flanked by Riyad Mahrez and an in-form Sterling, who was kept on the bench on Saturday.
Bernardo Silva and Leroy Sane both drop out of the starting lineup, while skipper Vincent Kompany is also benched. Kyle Walker was absent for City at the weekend and is deemed only fit enough to take a place among the subs tonight, so John Stones will continue to operate at right-back - not ideal for the visitors. Danilo, Ilkay Gundogan and Claudio Bravo all remain absent for the Citizens.
SHAKHTAR DONETSK TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Pyatov; Matviienko, Kryvtsov, Rakitskiy, Ismaily; Maycon, Stepanenko; Wellington Nem, Kovalenko, Fernando; Moraes
SUBS: Shevchenko, Butko, Khocholava, Dentinho, Patrick, Bolbat, Kayode
Switching attention to the home side, Paulo Fonseca has to make do without key attacking talents Taison and Marlos this evening. Fernando and Wellington Nem are therefore handed starting spots in the final third, tasked with offering support to Junior Moraes. The Brazilian striker has netted 10 goals in 12 league outings this term to top the scoring charts in Ukraine's top flight.
Moraes was the hero for the Pitmen in their 2-2 draw with Lyon, scoring both goals to keep his side in contention for a last-16 spot. The Brazilian was flanked by Taison and Marlos that night, though, so Shakhtar's frontline has a slightly different look to it tonight. Elsewhere, Viktor Kovalenko is surprisingly preferred to Alan Patrick in the hole and Ismaily is passed fit on the left of defence.
The big team news from Kharkiv is that Kevin De Bruyne has been handed his first start for Manchester City since early August after recovering from a knee injury. The Belgian playmaker joins Nicolas Otamendi, Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus in being recalled to the side on the back of Saturday's convincing 5-0 win over Burnley at the Etihad Stadium.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS! These two sides were also paired together in the group stage of the Champions League last season - the first time that they had ever met in a competitive match. Manchester City came out on top 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium 13 months ago, with Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling finding the net, while Shakhtar Donetsk were 2-1 winners in the reverse meeting last December.
That defeat for Man City here ended their unbeaten start to the season, but they were already assured of top spot in the group, explaining Guardiola's decision to rotate his side that evening. Despite making four changes from the weekend, the Catalan coach is certainly taking this latest showdown with Shakhtar a lot more seriously as the Citizens have plenty of work to do if they are to progress out of Group F.
The Citizens required a late strike from David Silva to pick up what was a deserved victory at Hoffenheim a few weeks back in a match that they trailed in with less than a minute played. City's Champions League campaign could have been over before it had truly began had they not recovered, having also gone down 2-1 to Lyon in their opening fixture last month, prompting plenty of criticism from Guardiola.
Guardiola also hit out at his players a few days beforehand on the back of a 3-0 win against Fulham, claiming that some of his men were failing to make the most of their opportunities in front of goal. It is fair to say that City have used the loss to Lyon as a wake-up call, having won five and drawn one of their matches in all competitions since then, the only blemish - if you can call it that - being a goalless draw away to Liverpool earlier this month.
City have racked up 17 goals across those games, including five in the thumping of Burnley at the weekend when five different players got on the scoresheet. The Citizens have also conceded just once during this impressive run of form; Ishak Belfodil's early strike for Hoffenheim the only goal City have let in since September 19. No matter what way you look at it, Guardiola's men really do have the perfect blend between attack and defence.
Despite all this, though, City have still yet to prove themselves as a serious force on the continent. Reaching triple figures for points in the Premier League last season was special, on top of lifting the EFL Cup earlier in the season, but there was still an underlying sense of disappointment as the Citizens were dumped out of the Champions League by domestic rivals Liverpool at the quarter-final stage.
Their semi-final defeat to Real Madrid in 2016 remains City's best-ever run in the competition, and it would be considered a failure on Guardiola's part if they do not at least match that this time around. City just cannot replicate their domestic form on the continent, as they have won just two of their last seven European matches and lost the other five, two of those coming to Liverpool in last season's quarters.
Domestically speaking, City have won nine and drawn two of their matches this season, with Wolverhampton Wanderers and Liverpool the only teams to stop them. Now in their eighth successive Champions League campaign, it is time that the Citizens - considered favourites by many to go all the way - truly proved themselves against the best the continent has to offer, with anything less than a semi-final spot simply not good enough for a side of this quality.
It is little wonder that Guardiola has described this match as a "final" for his side, knowing that dropped points tonight really would leave their European aspirations finely poised. Lyon travel to Hoffenheim in the other Group L fixture this evening and will be considered favourites to make it seven points from three matches, potentially leaving the Citizens three or four points behind if they fail to win here.
Finishing second to Lyon would not be disastrous by any means, but Guardiola will be targeting top spot in the hope of landing a more favourable last-16 tie - although that is not always the case. This is not the only game Guardiola has described as a "final", though, as he also considers next Monday's trip to Tottenham Hotspur a do-or-die clash, as well as the upcoming games against Fulham (EFL Cup), Southampton and Manchester United (Premier League).
Manchester City's only defeat in 13 matches this season came at the hands of Lyon in their opening Champions League match. That left the Citizens playing catch up from the off, and they have already reduced the gap on the French side to just one point as we approach the midway point in Group F. If all goes to plan this evening, normal order will have resumed and City will be top of the standings; the worst case scenario is that they end the night bottom of the group.
Shakhtar blew a two-goal lead with 20 minutes to go in their meeting with Lyon three weeks ago to leave them on two points from two matches, having also played out a four-goal draw with Hoffenheim. That point can be considered a positive outcome on reflection, as Maycon struck inside the final 10 minutes to rescue the Pitmen, but the result at the Groupama Stadium was very much a wasted opportunity.
Junior Moraes had put Shakhtar in command of that Lyon match with his goals either side of half time, only for the French side to hit back and give Group F a different look to it. The Pitmen will now likely need something from their double-header with Man City if they are to finish in the top two, and thus reach the knockout stages. The Ukrainian side round off their Group F campaign with a trip to Hoffenheim on November 27 and the visit of Lyon on December 12.
Shakhtar are aiming to make it out of the group stage for the fourth time in six attempts - a pretty decent return - while finishing third and dropping into the Europa League could offer an alternative route to silverware. The Pitmen reached the quarter-finals of this competition in 2010-11, while last season saw them make it to the last-16 stage, where they were beaten by Roma over two legs.
DID YOU KNOW? Shakhtar Donetsk won all four of their home Champions League games in 2017-18 and have now lost just once on Ukrainian soil in 15 matches. Eleven of those outings ended in victory, including the aforementioned 2-1 success against Manchester City here less than a year ago. However, the Pitmen have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last six Euro outings here.
Shakhtar qualified for the Champions League by winning the Ukrainian title for an 11th time last season, rounding off successive domestic doubles. They have started this campaign in an impressive manner, too, winning 10 of their 12 matches to lead the way at the summit by two points at the exact midway point in the regular season. Zorya Luhansk and Dynamo Kiev are the only teams to stop Donetsk this term.
With kickoff at the Metalist Oblast Sports Complex now less than 10 minutes away, let us check out some pre-match thoughts from both camps.
Paulo Fonseca: "We will need to pay attention to all the players in the City team. They are very strong players and any of them can give us problems. We know it is going to be difficult and we will probably have to suffer a bit without the ball, but we will try to find ways to play our game and attack. Our principles remain the same, no matter who we play against. It doesn't matter who we are playing against - Manchester City or any other team."
Pep Guardiola: "In this competition you need something special, and still I don't feel it. I saw last season we are still not ready to win it. That's what I feel. That doesn't mean we are not going to try but to win this competition it's not enough just to have desire, or wanting to win. You have to have many circumstances, have experience and still we don't have enough in some moments. That's not enough that the manager wants to win it, it's not just the players. You have to have the desire - the club, chairman, owner, the fans, everyone has to push to be closer, to achieve the next stages. When it happens, everyone will feel it."
Interesting comments from Guardiola, who insists that his side are "still not ready to win" the Champions League. Many people will disagree with that view, as the Citizens dominated the English landscape last term and boast one of the greatest club sides the Premier League has ever produced. The next step is to retain their league crown, while also challenging deep - and possible winning - the Champions League.
Fonseca, who has been linked with a few jobs in England, confesses that this will be a "difficult" evening for his side, who are still very much in transition after losing some big names. The Pitmen showed last season that they have what it takes to overcome the Citizens, even if they did come up against a weakened side, and they have a solid record on Ukrainian soil. This could be a tricky test for Guardiola and his men.
PREDICTION! Both sides are reigning champions of their domestic leagues and both are in good overall form heading into this evening's tough-to-call tie. It is all to play for in Group F after two rounds of matches, and another tight game can be expected in this third meeting between the sides in the past 13 months. We are going with a 1-1 draw.
KICKOFF: Manchester City, facing a Shakhtar Donetsk side absent of two of their main talents in Taison and Marlos, get us up and running in Kharkiv. This is a huge contest, with the two sides separated by just one point as we approach the midway stage.
The visitors have spent the early stages of the game knocking the ball around, settling into their surroundings. This is a noisy place, but the home fans have not really seen their side get out of their own half thus far.
SHOT! David Silva, who scored a crucial late winner at Hoffenheim earlier this month, flicks Benjamin Mendy's cross goalwards for Andrij Pyatov to push over the crossbar. The officials felt that the ball was out of play before Pyatov got a touch, though, and a goal kick is awarded.
Shakhtar are struggling to get the ball out of their own half at the moment, with City taking complete control of proceedings. This has been a very bright start from the Citizens, who have top spot in their sights.
A great first-team pass from Riyad Mahrez sets Kevin De Bruyne free. The Belgian playmaker sent the ball back into the middle of the box, but a deflection lifted into a nice height for Andrij Pyatov to catch.
City have seen close to 80% of the ball in the opening 11 minutes here. The Citizens have had a couple of lively moments in the final third, with David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne being picked out in dangerous positions in the opposition box.
Pyatov with a first real save to make of the evening, diving to his near post to keep out Raheem Sterling's shot after the Englishman was picked out by Kevin De Bruyne. The visitors are knocking on the door for an opening goal here.
Shakhtar under serious pressure now, unable to get out of their own final third. Guardiola will be delighted with his side's intensity, although the visitors do not have a goal to show for their work so far.
SAVE! Yet more brilliant play from City, this time from David Silva to set Gabriel Jesus free. The Brazilian had just Pyatov to beat, but he took an extra stride and could not lift it over the Shakhtar goalkeeper.
That chance for Gabriel Jesus was the best of the bunch for City in what has been a dominant first-half showing. Kevin De Bruyne sends in a teasing cross from the right, which an offside Gabriel Jesus could not quite get to at full stretch.
City's possession count is up to an incredible 90% now. Shakhtar are given further reason to worry as Ismaily, who was a major fitness doubt heading into the match, appears to have aggravated his injury.
SHOT! Another decent opportunity goes begging for the Citizens, as Gabriel Jesus blasts the ball over the bar when picked out 12 yards from goal. The Ukrainian hosts have barely had a touch of the ball in City's half of the field so far!
CHANCE! It has taken the best part of 25 minutes, but Shakhtar have finally put an attacking move together. The hosts hit their opponents on the counter, but Nicolas Otamendi produced an important block in the box to thwart the move. From the corner, City break and Riyad Mahrez drilled wide of the target.
OFF THE LINE! That has to go down as City's best chance yet as it was four against one at one point as Shakhtar committed bodies forward. Riyad Mahrez gets another shot in, which is brilliantly blocked by Yaroslav Rakitsky on the goal-line.
Not quite sure how Shakhtar are still level here. City may well rue their failure to capitalise when in complete control of the match, as their opponents have seen more of the ball over the last few minutes. Another corner is won, which is again cleared.
Shakhtar are slowly growing into the game, and from their latest corner the ball is headed over the crossbar by Maycon from a long way out. City's possession count has gone from a high of 90% down to 63%, as Gabriel Jesus's shot is blocked aside.
OFF THE POST! The ball just will not go into the back of the net! Riyad Mahrez with a delightful whipped cross from the right, which David Silva got a touch to ahead of Pyatov. Thankfully for the Ukrainian goalkeeper, the post came to his rescue.
GOAL! SHAKHTAR DONETSK 0-1 MANCHESTER CITY (DAVID SILVA)
It is fair to say that this goal had been coming! City, who should have had three or four goals already, finally make the breakthrough via a sweetly-struck David Silva shot. Riyad Mahrez's attempt looped into the air and Silva volleyed it across Pyatov into the far corner.
GROUP F UPDATE! Bertrand Traore has opened the scoring for Lyon in the other Group F outing, meaning that a bit of a gap is opening up between the top two and bottom two. Still a long, long way to go in this evening's matches.
GROUP F UPDATE! Andrej Kramaric has just equalised for Hoffenheim in their meeting with Lyon, so Manchester City currently top the Group F standings. City remain in complete control in Kharkiv, meanwhile.
GOAL! SHAKHTAR DONETSK 0-2 MANCHESTER CITY (AYMERIC LAPORTE)
For all of City's majestic football this evening, their second goal - full deserved on the basis of the past 36 minutes or so - comes via a corner. Benjamin Mendy's bullet was saved by Pyatov, and from the set piece Aymeric Laporte simply guided his header into the top corner when left unmarked.
A nice stooping header from Aymeric Laporte, adding to David Silva's volleyed opener, has Man City in complete control of this Group F tie. Shakhtar have offered next to nothing and cannot argue that they do not deserve to be two goals down.
Talk about risky! Rakitskiy turns in his own box and just about escapes being challenged by Jesus. Shakhtar desperately seeking a route back into this match, and they nearly had one as a corner was flicked right across the face of goal without a further touch.
The Pitmen have missed Taison and Marlos tonight. City have been on top throughout and the only negative for them, if you can really call it that, is that they only have two goals to show for their dominance. The game has not been killed off just yet.
HALF TIME: SHAKHTAR DONETSK 0-2 MANCHESTER CITY
Man City very nearly had themselves a third goal before the interval, but Gabriel Jesus put a little too much bend on his attempt and the ball ended a yard wide of the target. As it is, the Citizens have to settle for just the two first-half goals.
The man who launched City's European campaign with a late goal at Hoffenheim three weeks ago was at it again here, firing a volley across Andrij Pyatov and into the far corner of the net to give his side a deserved lead half an hour in. It had been all City up to that point, with the Citizens boasting 90% possession at one point and racking up a total of 15 goal attempts in a dominant first half.
Silva looped a shot narrowly over the crossbar and Gabriel Jesus was denied by Pyatov from a one-on-one position in the minutes leading up to the Spaniard's eventual opener, while Riyad Mahrez drilled a shot wide to bring a disappointing end to his side's four-on-one counter. Shakhtar also had the post to thank for keeping the scoreline low as Silva's flicked finish came back off the frame of the goal, shortly after Yaroslav Rakitsky blocked Mahrez's latest attempt on the line.
Guardiola's men were fully deserving of their two-goal advantage when the second goal of the evening arrived before half time, then, with Aymeric Laporte swooping down to guide Kevin De Bruyne's corner into the net after Benjamin Mendy's bullet shot was pushed behind for a corner. The hosts really do have it all to do in the second 45 minutes, and it would not be all that surprising to see Fonseca change things around at the break.
SHAKHTAR DONETSK SUBS: Shevchenko, Butko, Khocholava, Dentinho, Patrick, Bolbat, Kayode
MANCHESTER CITY SUBS: Muric, Kompany, Aguero, Sane, Bernardo, Foden, Walker
KICKOFF: We are back under way at the Metalist Oblast Sports Complex, where Man City have been in control throughout. Shakhtar will surely improve in these remaining 45 minutes, but can they offer up any sort of response in front of goal?
Having become the first English side to score twice away at Shakhtar in the Champions League, City - unbeaten in six since going down 2-1 to Lyon in their European opener - are clearly keen to add more to their tally.
Riyad Mahrez rolls the ball across the box and David Silva's shot looked like it was heading towards the bottom corner, if not for Ismaily's timely block in front of goal. From the corner, Mahrez wrapped his boot around the ball but could not find the target.
Seven minutes into the second period and there is no change to the flow of the game, as Man City continue to dominate in terms of possession and chances. All it takes is one Shakhtar chance, though, and it is very much game on.
SAVE! Ismaily, who has been the home side's best player so far today, fires Shakhtar's first effort on target. It may have been going wide, but Ederson was taking no chances and got a couple of hands to it. The Pitmen's best moment yet.
GROUP F UPDATE! Hoffenheim have completed the turnaround against Lyon to lead 2-1 in that other Group F match taking place tonight, with Andrej Kramaric doubling his personal tally for the night. A good result for City, that.
Shakhtar win themselves a free kick in a dangerous crossing position, which Rakitskiy swings into the middle. Good defending from City to clear their lines, although the hosts will look to build on that rare opening.
Guardiola would no doubt welcome a third goal just to make certain of the points. With a huge league match against Tottenham less than a week away, the Catalan coach could do with taking off some of his key men.
CHANCE! David Silva spots Riyad Mahrez at the back post, and the Algerian winger really should have been burying this chance. Instead, Mahrez could only fire into the side-netting and another opportunity to kill off the contest goes begging.
Gabriel Jesus cuts in from the left and drags a shot wide of goal. It looks as though the visiting side are planning on making a change or two as we enter the final quarter of what has been a one-sided contest in Kharkiv.
SHAKHTAR DONETSK SUB! Alan Patrick, who many expected to start tonight, comes on for Kovalenko for the remaining 25 minutes or so. That change coincides with Shakhtar's best spell of the contest so far.
GROUP F UPDATE! Tanguy Ndombele has equalised for Lyon in their entertaining tie with Hoffenheim - it is not 2-2 in Germany. In Ukraine, meanwhile, City are now having to do a lot more defending than in the opening hour.
SUBS! Guardiola has been reluctant to make any alteration, but that has now changed as we enter the final 20 minutes. Bernardo Silva takes over from Kevin De Bruyne, while Bolbat has come on for Wellington in the hosts' second change.
GOAL! SHAKHTAR DONETSK 0-3 MANCHESTER CITY (BERNARDO SILVA)
On the field for all of two minutes, Bernardo Silva makes an instant impact by putting the game out of Shakhtar's reach. The Portuguese started the attack from deep and rounded it off by tucking the ball into the bottom corner from 18 yards - great finish!
If it wasn't game over before, it certainly is now thanks to that Bernardo strike. I can't stress just how dominant Man City have been tonight - three goals does not give a true reflection of their performance; they could have had six or seven.
Riyad Mahrez skips into the box and sends his shot just wide, as City close in on a fourth goal of the game. Shakhtar could do with the full-time whistle around about now, because their goal difference could take a bit of a battering at this rate.
Guardiola must surely be tempted to turn to his bench as we enter the final 10 minutes of the match. The Citizens have finally hit full stride in Europe with this performance, and they are now in control of the Group F standings.
MANCHESTER CITY SUB! Kyle Walker, absent for Saturday's 5-0 win over Burnley, is brought on for the final 10 minutes here in place of makeshift right-back John Stones. The Citizens are on the brink of yet another clean sheet.
GROUP F UPDATE! The other match in Group F is a lot tighter, it is fair to say, as Memphis Depay has just scored to put Lyon back in front against Hoffenheim. A five-goal thriller in Germany, which changes the complexion of the standings slightly.
SHAKHTAR DONETSK SUB! Dentinho is on for Fernando in Shakhtar's final change of the evening. No matter what Fonseca tries, his side have simply been unable to live with their rampant opponents this evening.
Moraes, who leads the scoring charts in Ukraine, holds off a challenge from Otamendi but is unable to find the target with his shot. It has been an incredibly frustrating night for the Brazilian striker, who has barely been given a sniff.
MANCHESTER CITY SUB! Phil Foden is on for Gabriel Jesus, and he has a good chance to bag a goal seconds after being introduced. The youngster was unable to keep his shot down from what was a tight angle.
The referee added on just one minute at the end of the match, perhaps feeling some sympathy for the Shakhtar players. We are two minutes into added time, though, and still he has not blown.
FULL TIME: SHAKHTAR DONETSK 0-3 MANCHESTER CITY
Job done for Man City, who climb to the top of the Group F standings thanks to Hoffenheim's late equaliser at home to Lyon - what a game that was! David Silva, Aymeric Laporte and substitute Bernardo Silva earned the Citizens a convincing 3-0 win at Shakhtar Donetsk, and now they are in a strong position to book a place in the last 16 next month.
That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events from the Metalist Oblast Sports Complex. An on-the-whistle report can be found by clicking here, and be sure to join us again tomorrow night for updates from Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur's latest European matches. See you then!
