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Manchester City reach Champions League last 16 as group winners but are held by Shakhtar Donetsk
For the seventh successive season, Manchester City are into the Champions League knockout stages and, for the next couple of months at least, Pep Guardiola can now focus all his efforts on trying to close the nine-point gap to Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table.
A point on the night against Shakhtar Donetsk was enough to guarantee top spot in Group C by virtue of Atalanta beating Dinamo Zagreb and ensure Guardiola can go to Croatia next month with no need to take any unnecessary risks with his selection.
With little to no margin for error in the Premier League given the relentless pace Liverpool have set and injuries proving troublesome for City, such small comforts should not be overlooked. The champions have nine games to navigate in the next month alone.
This looked a very kind group on paper and so it has proved but, while there was never any need for City to be at their best here, this was still one of their more underwhelming showings in a season in which Guardiola’s side have yet to hit the heights we know they can.
The bar, admittedly, has been set very high so any drop off in intensity is going to be quite apparent and, with some key players to come back from injury, there may be a lot better to come. They will certainly need to raise their game if Guardiola is to be reacquainted with the trophy he has not clasped hands on since winning it for a second time with Barcelona in 2011.
And anyone who watched the Catalan gazing longingly at the cup with big ears at the northern Football Writers’ Association dinner in Manchester city centre on Sunday evening will know just how badly he craves it.
Despite fielding a strong line-up, there was little of the zip and zest we so readily associate with Guardiola’s sides and when Manor Solomon came off the substitutes’ bench to cancel out Ilkay Gundogan’s goal it did not come as too much of a surprise.
“I saw good things and things we have to improve but we’re in the next stage and that’s the most important thing when you start,” the City manager said.
“February will be totally different, tougher, we’ll see what condition we arrive in there [for the Round of 16] but now it’s time to focus on the Premier League.”
From an injury crisis that has claimed Sergio Agüero as its latest victim to results that got away (the 2-2 draw Tottenham in August) and some damaging league defeats, it has been a season of frustration to date for City in many respects. Even then, it is hard to remember a first half at the Etihad that was this flat. With the notable exception of Kevin De Bruyne, who never stopped until his substitution with 20 minutes left, and the guy with a megaphone in the South Stand trying desperately to drum up an atmosphere, it was too subdued on and off the pitch.
Guardiola seemed to spend much of it with his hands on his head, not least when Shakhtar broke through a couple of times courtesy of long punts upfield. There was certainly a marked lack of dynamism in midfield from City and what felt like an overdependence on De Bruyne to find a spark. Phil Foden was again overlooked from the start and, if Guardiola was not going to rest Fernandinho, might this have been a game to start him in midfield instead of Rodri, who had a notable off night, rather than at the back?
Even the outstanding Ederson was not quite himself to begin with. We expect Claudio Bravo to career off his line and do something daft but not the Brazilian, who is normally the coolest man on the field. But when Mykola Matviyenko launched the ball forward, the City goalkeeper raced out of his penalty area only to swing wildly at the ball and miss. Tete ran on to it and surged towards goal, his shot heading for the net until Fernandinho, rushing back, slid in to block and spare his compatriot’s blushes.
There was another fright when Angelino misjudged goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov’s long kick forward and the ball sailed over his head for Tete to chase. The ball was pulled back to Viktor Kovalenko, who rolled it across the penalty area to Alan Patrick. He had to at least hit the target but crashed his shot high over the crossbar.
City finally fashioned a breakthrough nine minutes after the restart with De Bruyne, unsurprisingly, the instigator, the Belgian rolling a pass into Gabriel Jesus in the penalty area. Jesus held up the ball, got a lucky bounce and poked the ball to Gundogan, who calmly sidefooted it into the net.
City’s lead was relatively short-lived, though. Tete picked up the ball 30 yards out and drew in Angelino before slipping in Dodo overlapping on his right. From the right by-line, the right back pulled the ball back, his cross eluding Rodri and falling into the path of Solomon to fire home only four minutes after coming on.
And with that, we'll leave things there for the night
Thanks for joining. Liverpool and Chelsea up tomorrow for your entertainment.
Pep gives his thoughts
The second half was better than the first. We had a few problems understanding where the space was in the first half.
Shakhtar played different. They adapted. They have quality. They have quality players, an extraordinary keeper. We knew it.
Okay, at the end, a draw, it was enough to qualify.
Once we knew the other score (in the group), it was an opportunity to rest a few players.
What did he learn about a few other players?
Everyone played good.
More to come from City?
Now we have another competition done, we will play the last game already qualified as top. Now we play in the Premier League, then the cup. We qualified, we did it.
Room for improvement
Gundogan admits City need to find another step up
There is still room to improve. I don't mean results - they will come automatically. But the way we play, attacking and defensively.
City scorer Gundogan speaks
Obviously I wanted my goal to be the one that won the game. Unfortunately we got the draw. But we topped the group. There is things we can improve.
We knew it would be tough. We let Shakhtar play. Our build up was a bit sloppy, bit slow. It was not our best performance.
But this is Champions League. This is the competition where you have to struggle, you will struggle but we will learn from it.
Group C conquered
FULL-TIME | The points are shared at the Etihad, but we secure our place as Group C winners and will head through to the #UCL knockout stages ! ��
�� 1-1 �� #ManCitypic.twitter.com/6cjiyH4Yjx— Manchester City (@ManCity) November 26, 2019
FT Man City 1 Shakhtar Donetsk 1
And that's the full-time whistle.
So it is job done as Pep requested this week, Man City punch their ticket for the Champions League last 16 with a game to spare, with results elsewhere meaning they also top the group.
But it was not straightforward. It took until 56 minutes to break the deadlock through Gundogan yet they held the lead for just 13 minutes before Shakhtar levelled via super-sub Solomon and the visitors stay in the hunt for the knockouts with that point.
Park it and move on. Post-Christmas Champions League football for City, and that's what they wanted.
90+3 mins Man City 1 Shakhtar Donetsk 1
There's another Shakhtar down, this time in the centre circle. A touch of cramp perhaps. There won't be much longer to this game.
90 mins Man City 1 Shakhtar Donetsk 1
Shakhtar are making a sub but unfortunately Moraes is coming off on a stretcher after appearing to pick up some sort of leg injury. Youngster Sikan comes on.
And immediately gets on the ball, a nice touch moves him free and then Fernandinho charges through the player to stop him. Welcome to the game. That's a yellow for Fernandinho and he misses the next match.
Unfortunately for the visitors, Tete's free-kick goes straight to Ederson. Into stoppage time now.
88 mins Man City 1 Shakhtar Donetsk 1
They'll be chasing that one outside the Etihad tonight. Gündogan saw the chance to get his name up in lights as the ball breaks to him on the edge of the box. He swings at it and it flies up and just seems to continue rising and rising.
As you were then.
87 mins Man City 1 Shakhtar Donetsk 1
If Shakhtar nicked a winner, they would qualify tonight too because of their superior head to head with Dinamo Zagreb. Push forward at your peril against City though.
That's a bit typical of Sterling tonight, to be honest. Angelino finds him unmarked in the box but his right-footed volley is laboured and goes wide. He probably could have taken a touch.
85 mins Man City 1 Shakhtar Donetsk 1
Meandering along now, this. As it stands, City take a point and top the group, with one game remaining.
80 mins Man City 1 Shakhtar Donetsk 1
Brazilian Marcos Antônio runs on for the latter stages in place of Kovalenko.
Cancelo tries to pick the pace up with a slide-pass into Sterling down the channel but the final product is missing and the winger fails to find his teammate.
Foden then drifts a ball in but Dodo's head directs the ball back to his keeper ahead of Bernardo Silva. City probing for a winner here.
79 mins Man City 1 Shakhtar Donetsk 1
You're guaranteed a goal or two with City, that's for sure. But the performance has not been on point tonight.
They do almost grab a second, though. Cancelo gets his head up to pick a pass over the top to Bernardo Silva who has run to the by-line. His first-time cross is blocked for a corner.
75 mins Man City 1 Shakhtar Donetsk 1
Shakhtar have, unsurprisingly, acquired a second wind here. Ah, no, that puts a pin in it. Tete collects the ball on the far right of the box but is balance is off and it's a wild effort high and into the stands.
Phil Foden gets a run out! He's on for the last 15 mins, Rodri trots off. Not been the most effective of nights for him.
73 mins Man City 1 Shakhtar Donetsk 1
The hosts almost respond immediately (which would have been very harsh on Shakhtar)
Jesus has the ball on the left of the box, he evades the clutches of keeper Pyatov before cutting back for David Silva. The strike takes a deflection off Kryvtsov, then the back-tracking Pyatov, before Kryvtsov somehow manages to scoop it off the line.
GOOOOAAAAAL! Man City 1 Shakhtar Donetsk 1 (Solomon 69)
Super sub Solomon! He's only been on the pitch a matter of minutes! Make that less than four minutes.
Shakhtar Donetsk had never previously scored at the Etihad but they are level now after a very cute counter-attacking move.
Tete holds the ball up superbly before feeding Dodo on the overlap at the byline. His cut-back evades everyone before Solomon arrives to rifle in low to the bottom corner.
City, who will still win the group meanwhile, have responded by bringing on David Silva for de Bruyne.
68 mins Man City 1 Shakhtar Donetsk 0
You have to praise Shakhtar for the way they immediately regroup and assume their defensive shape when they lose the ball.
Sterling on this occasion is crowded out in the box after getting clear of Krivtsov
66 mins Man City 1 Shakhtar Donetsk 0
Shakhtar made their first change. The largely ineffective Konoplyanka comes off for forward Manor Solomon.
De Bruyne wins a corner, City look like they want to make a change but holding off for this set-piece. Fernandinho flicks on and Jesus goes and retrieves it on the right. Sub Solomon is back and helps the defence out.
61 mins Man City 1 Shakhtar Donetsk 0
Sterling.....misses wildly.
He was breaking at pace but with the Shakhtar tracking back, the Englishman rushes to get his shot away after cutting back on the edge of the box and it slices high and wide.
60 mins Man City 1 Shakhtar Donetsk 0
My god did the game need that. Shakhtar, though, will be desperate to get something out of this game.
They've never scored at the Etihad but they're going to need to now for their own Champions League hopes.
A corner! Hope! Otamendi stretches to the cross and pokes clear.
City break....
GOOOOOAAAAAALLLL! Man City 1 (Gündogan 56) Shakhtar Donetsk 0
Fi-na-lly!
Midfield maestro De Bruyne pulls the strings in midfield, picking his pass into Jesus. He turns in the box, there's a couple of lucky deflections, which mean keeper Pyatov has already committed and is stranded and the ball squirms out to Gündogan to poke into an empty net.
53 mins Man City 0 Shakhtar Donetsk 0
With Atalanta now leading 2-0 against Zagreb, that means City win the group, draw or victory.
The hosts have a corner, it eludes everyone and then Ismaily deflects Angelino's next cross from the left. Pyatov takes control of his box and punches clear.
50 mins Man City 0 Shakhtar Donetsk 0
Sterling has been hardly in this game tonight. And neither has Jesus. He tries to sneak in at the back post but the cross in is too floated and he cannot get any power on his header.
De Bruyne then turns on the edge of the box, turns and drives forward but his slid pass is cut out. The Belgian always makes it look like he has so much time on his hands receiving the ball.
47 mins Man City 0 Shakhtar Donetsk 0
Sun Oct 6 was the last time Man City failed to score in a game, that being the 2-0 defeat to Wolves in the league.
They are probing away again. But the orange shirts are everywhere once again. The subs have been sent out to warm up.
45 mins Man City 0 Shakhtar Donetsk 0
Back underway at the Etihad, what can City produce in the next 45?
'Electric' might be stretching it a little bit...
An electric first half comes to an end. No goals for now.#ManCityShakhtarhttps://t.co/a0dGdYMn5A
— FC SHAKHTAR ENGLISH (@FCShakhtar_eng) November 26, 2019
Ederson's wander
If it hadn't been for the backtracking Fernandinho , then Ederson would be doing a lot more explaining to his teammates right now. A dreadful miskick gifted the ball for Tete but he chose to go it alone, instead of squaring to Moraes, and City breathed a sigh of relief.
HT Man City 0 Shakhtar Donetsk 0
Well, as it stands, City are heading through to the last 16 for a seventh straight season. They only need a point, after all.
But it's been far from vintage and Shakhtar, if anything, should be the ones ahead after that lack of concentration from Ederson. In fact, apart from a few pop shots, I can't recall a clear City chance.
A lot of the focus has been on an increasingly exasperated Pep Guardiola!
45 mins Man City 0 Shakhtar Donetsk 0
De Bruyne loses his footing in the box. The crowd half-claim for a penalty but that was a case of tripping over his own feet/kicking the turf and the midfield maestro knows as much.
Again the orange shirts crowd out the box and the edge of it, like a wall.
One minute of stoppage time and there's the half-time whistle
44 mins Man City 0 Shakhtar Donetsk 0
Half-time creeps closer. City still trying to find a way through, this time Bernardo Silva sending in a decent ball from the right. But there's Krivtsov again to clear, he's been very strong this half.
42 mins Man City 0 Shakhtar Donetsk 0
Free-kick City on the right touchline after de Bruyne is bundled over. The reinforcements are sent up from the back. This would be a good time to score.
De Bruyne goes short again to Cancelo in a recurring tactic from City. Nope, that won't do. The ball in doesn't even clear the first man!
39 mins Man City 0 Shakhtar Donetsk 0
Chance! Gündogan, hearing the rising shouts of shooooooooot from the crowd, does just that. It takes a slight deflection away from goal though and the corner comes to nothing.
38 mins Man City 0 Shakhtar Donetsk 0
He's fine, of course he is.
Meanwhile not a great deal happening. With City having one foot in the last 16, there isn't their usual zip to things tonight. Ball being knocked around midfield again, Shakhtar players all back on the edge of their own box.
37 mins Man City 0 Shakhtar Donetsk 0
Júnior Moraes stretches his legs again but Fernandino is a bit of a unit and won't easily be shrugged of the ball in defence. The two tangle but Moraes stays down for treatment. Given he got straight back up and then went down, it's not immediately obvious what's wrong. Maybe just a bit of a stringer.
34 mins Man City 0 Shakhtar Donetsk 0
This sums up City's lacklustre start so far. Yes, Shakhtar are packing the defence but the hosts cannot unpick it at all/don't seem inclined to want to. Instead it is Otamendi who has a long-range pop. Which goes harmlessly off target.
32 mins Man City 0 Shakhtar Donetsk 0
It's very open this. This time it's not Tete on the right getting on a ball over the top, instead Júnior Moraes down the middle but Ederson is swiftly out.
31 mins Man City 0 Shakhtar Donetsk 0
Short to Gündogan, who goes back again to Angelino to put in. Otamendi gets his head to it but it's a simple save for Pyatov
30 mins Man City 0 Shakhtar Donetsk 0
Yet again Angelino caught out at left-back with a simple ball over the top. City regroup though and bail out their team-mate.
They race up the other end and win a corner...
28 mins Man City 0 Shakhtar Donetsk 0
There's that little reminder to City at the back though and it's Tete again. He latches onto Stepanenko's ball on the right, feeds it back to Alan Patrick running onto it unmarked from 15 yards. But he is leaning too far back - what every kid is taught not to do growing up - and inevitably it flies high over the bar.
26 mins Man City 0 Shakhtar Donetsk 0
City break again. De Bruyne plays in Cancelo on the right of the box. He cuts back and does his marker uperbly but Sterling has not continued his run and Cancelo's floated ball ends up as a nothing ball, going harmlessly out.
24 mins Man City 0 Shakhtar Donetsk 0
Ah not so good from Tete. He casually concedes possession in the middle of the park, City flick into life immediately and Rodi steps up to take aim for 30 yards out. There's not enough power and it's an easy save though.
23 mins Man City 0 Shakhtar Donetsk 0
Tete is enjoying plenty of purchase out on the right side as he receives the freedom of the wing to trap the ball down, push it out a step and then try for goal. It's solidly blocked but City need to get a grip in defence.
So far this match then, City attempts 1. Shakhtar 3.
22 mins Man City 0 Shakhtar Donetsk 0
Fernandinho plays a delightful ball over the top in search of Sterling but the City is fraction offside so his looping effort just off target would not have counted anyway if it had been on target
17 mins Man City 0 Shakhtar Donetsk 0
Nearly a mirror image of it again just minutes later but this time Ederson keeps his eyes on the ball and clears the danger ahead of Tete on the far side. Those last few minutes would have got the City keeper's heart rate going!
14 mins Man City 0 Shakhtar Donetsk 0
Wake up call City! What is Ederson doing? It's a rush of blood to the head, he charges out of his box but it's a complete air shot and Mateus Tete is in. He should really score but somehow Fernandinho gets back to deflect out for a corner.
14 mins Man City 0 Shakhtar Donetsk 0
You could throw a blanket over this Shakhtar Donetsk team, so tightly packed in are they in their own half. City having to play the patience game.
11 mins Man City 0 Shakhtar Donetsk 0
Tip tap tip tap, City barely breaking a sweat here, passing around the back. But they then flick through the gears as Bernardo Silva flicks in Cancelo on the right and he crosses but it evades Sterling in the box.
7 mins Man City 0 Shakhtar Donetsk 0
We have a goal! Sadly it's in London as Jose Mourinho's first taste of life in front of the Spurs fans at home is a bad one, they've fallen behind to Olympiakos.
Meanwhile De Bruyne manages to wriggle his way into the box after a cute pass from Sterling. But his effort his blocked by Krivtsov.
6 mins Man City 0 Shakhtar Donetsk 0
Barely five minutes on the clock and the cameras have already picked out the injured Sergio Aguero, clutching a soft drink in his hands, high up in the stands.
Moraes is down after a firm challenge from Fernandinho. He gets gingerly to his feet, rubbing his back but he's fine to carry on.
5 mins Man City 0 Shakhtar Donetsk 0
First corner of the match, it's taken short to Rodri who flights the ball in but the offside flag is raised.
3 mins Man City 0 Shakhtar Donetsk 0
Lots of early pressure from City but the visitors showing they are comfortable on the ball, albeit mainly pinging around in their own half
Seventh heaven
Just a point tonight and City will reach the last 16 of the Champions League for the seventh year running. That maiden title still eludes them, how they would love to change that this season.
Sterling on the money
All looking rosy for Raheem Sterling, it seems, on and off the field with Manchester City opening talks with him over a new contract, 12 months after he signed a five-year deal to 2023. According to our northern football correspondent James Ducker, there was a meeting on Monday with further discussion to follow in time.
Pep talk
I picked a team, as always, to try and win the game.
They (Shakhtar Donetsk) put a lot of players in the middle to the short passes, they are so fast, they have the quality, it depends how we read them. We need to start on the front foot.
The group is in our hands. The most important thing is to think that we are not quite qualified yet. We want to try and finish it here, then adjust to the Premier League and other competitions.
The lesser-spotted Carson
Ederson takes up his usual position between the sticks but it is a rare sighting of Scott Carson on the bench as Claudio Bravo serves a one-match suspension after getting sent out in the 1-1 away draw at Atalanta.
Carson has not played any competitive football since March. Still, you'd obviously go for him in an emergency over this guy....
Jesus and the fab five
So as was already known, Gabriel Jesus comes in for the injured Aguero in one of five changes made by Guardiola following their victory over Chelsea.
And in black and white
Man City:Ederson, Joao Cancelo, Otamendi, Fernandinho, Jose Angelino, De Bruyne, Rodri, Gundogan, Bernardo Silva, Gabriel Jesus, Sterling.
Subs: Walker, Stones, Silva, Mendy, Mahrez, Carson, Foden.
Shakhtar Donetsk: Pyatov, Dodo, Kryvtsov, Matviyenko, Ismaily, Stepanenko, Alan Patrick, Tete, Kovalenko, Konoplyanka, Moraes.
Subs: Shevchenko, Khotcholava, Marcos Antonio, Solomon, Marquinhos Cipriano, Sikan, Bolbat.
Referee: Slavko Vincic (Slovenia)
Man City team
�� Here's how we line up in the #UCL tonight...
XI | Ederson, Cancelo, Fernandinho (C), Otamendi, Angelino, Rodrigo, Gundogan, De Bruyne, Bernardo, Sterling, G Jesus.
SUBS | Carson, Walker, Stones, D Silva, Mendy, Mahrez, Foden.
�� #ManCitypic.twitter.com/L9mGLDRtaB— Manchester City (@ManCity) November 26, 2019
Have Pep's players been listening?
Good evening one and all.
Get the job done. That was the message from Pep Guardiola to his players ahead of tonight's Champions League match. Time to see if they've taken it on board.
Top of Group C, the task ahead is simple. Draw or win at the Etihad and they qualify for the last 16 with a game to spare, a nice little amount of breathing space ahead of a rapidly approaching pile up of fixtures.
The omens are good too, with City having won four of their five Champions League encounters with visitors Shakhtar Donetsk (lost one) and keeping a clean sheet in each victory. Their opponents have also lost on both visits in Europe's premier club competition, shipping eight goals without reply.
City are somewhat of a demon machine at home too in the competition, losing only one of their last 13 home group stage games, winning each of the last four in a row, including a 6-0 victory against Shakhtar Donetsk in November 2018. They are also six wins in a row and counting at home, the last English side to have a longer run were Chelsea, who won seven in a row at Stamford Bridge between March 2008 and February 2009. Oh and Pep has won nine of his 12 matches against Shakhtar Donetsk in all competitions as manager.
Seem a little ominous? Here's a ray of hope for Shakhtar Donetsk fans. Their team are unbeaten in their last three away Champions League matches and are chasing a club-record four in a row unbeaten on the road in the competition. I wouldn't get the celebratory dances ready just yet, though, it's going to be a tough night alright, even without the threat of the injured Sergio Aguero.
Talking of playing personnel, time for a little team news from Manchester...
