In a Group G also featuring Red Star Belgrade and Young Boys this trip to RB Leipzig appeared Manchester City’s toughest away fixture so to depart the home of Germany’s fifth-place side with a victory is a fillip for Pep Guardiola’s men.
Beat Young Boys on Matchday 3, at the Wankdorf Stadium, and the defending champions will be all but qualified and Guardiola can start to plot how to rest players as the season enters its attritional, defining winter phase.
Tonight City were not the all-conquering power they so often are and could rue how Loïs Openda was able to equalise Phil Foden’s fine opener: this was on the counter, the textbook way to breach their high line, in one of RB Leipzig’s rare attacks.
But as full-time beckoned Julián Álvarez, on as a replacement, fashioned a sublime curler that had Guardiola hitting ecstasy before Jérémy Doku sealed the win.
Victory, then, despite no goal for Erling Haaland who had notched 11 in six previous outings against Leipzig – the best single tally of his career.
On Sunday City are at Arsenal for what should be a show-stopping piece of Premier League theatre. Unlike, this evening’s fare which was a tame affair.
Rodri, restored after two of a three-game domestic ban out, was joined by Rico Lewis in midfield and the youngster suffered a scare when Xaver Schlager robbed him and drove upfield, Lewis eventually catching and dispossessing the Leipzig man.
Retaining 89% of the ball, a pattern of City dominance was set, Manuel Akanji aiding this by padding forward from defence into central zones to add the extra man.
This had Marco Rose’s men playing chase-ball and bewitched when their visitor upped gear. Lewis did precisely this with a lightning turn-and-shot inside the area that was blocked by Lukas Klostermann and, as Leipzig’s rearguard panicked, Foden’s misfiring follow-up should have been turned in by a lurking Bernardo Silva.
In this latest week of VAR controversy the Portuguese may have felt aggrieved when, moments later, he unloaded and hit the arm of Castello Lukeba, who was not facing the ball, in what was an archetypal “you’ve-seen-those-given” moment.
Lewis, at 18, is already a force for the treble-winners and now illustrated why. Silva steered a pass along the right to where Lewis padded onto it and pulled a first-time cross backwards towards the penalty spot for Foden to beat Janis Blaswich by hitting the finish into the turf, the ball bouncing high and up and home.
Lewis has a lissome skip that is deceptively quick and with this he produced a carbon copy of the action along the right but, this time, no colleague was able to take advantage.
Jeremy Doku seals the three points for Manchester City with a stoppage-time goal. Photograph: Lisi Niesner/Reuters
When Openda claimed a first Leipzig corner 42 minutes showed on the clock: an apt summation of how under the cosh they were. Still, a 1-0 City lead at half-time was a repeat of the scoreline in February’s last-16 first leg here. Then, Leipzig won the second period and the tie ended poised at 1-1.
Then, they required 25 minutes to level, tonight less than three was the count, as Rúben Dias was out-muscled by Openda, who hit Christian Poulsen with a pass that was returned straightaway. As the sluggish Dias chugged back, the No 17 entered a footrace with Akanji who he held off, in City’s area, before beating Ederson, pinballing home off the latter’s right post.
Haaland has eight strikes in nine appearances for the champions but did not net against Red Star in the competition opener and was tentative when pivoting and shooting as City roved forward in search of an instant riposte.
More instinctive was the jabbing of a right boot at Jack Grealish’s cross but, once more, no dice for the Norwegian phenomenon.
After a run of two defeats – to Wolves in the Premier League and Newcastle in the Carabao Cup – a draw, at least, would steady City and yield an invaluable away point.
But, of course, they scented victory, Grealish foraging along his left flank, swinging in one corner that bounced all the way across to the far side. Yet without the injured Kevin De Bruyne in the XI, City lack a vital element of fantasy that can break open tight contests like this one.
Foden is as close as they have to a replica and a free-kick from the right that beat Blaswich but not his bar was a reminder of this.
Haaland yelped when blazing over a gilded opening to register the winner but it proved immaterial.
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