Manchester City 2-0 Shakhtar Donetsk: 5 Talking Points

On another exciting Champions League night at the Etihad, Manchester City emerged as the worthy winners, beating Ukranian heavyweights Shakhtar Donetsk 2-0. Though Shakhtar remain favourites to qualify for the next round, they really can cause an upset by the time the group stages come to an end.

After a strong first half from both sides, Kevin De Bruyne broke the deadlock with a sweet volley from outside the box early in the second-half. Shakhtar looked menacing at times, but City made sure they never found the back of the net.

Sergio Aguero had the chance to be the joint all-time top scorer for the Citizens, but a penalty denied by Pyatov means he will have to wait till the weekend to achieve the feat. Substitutes Raheem Sterling and Bernardo Silva combined to ensure City won 2-0 in the last minute.

Here are five talking points from the game at Etihad.

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#5: The scoreline could have been better

Sterling celebrates the winner as City cruised to a 2-0 victory.

Although City have bagged the three points, they could have done it with a better goal difference. Guardiola's team had been rampant in the Premier League after scoring a whopping 16 goals in just 3 appearances in September. The Citizens also kept a clean-sheet in their 4-0 win versus Dutch side Feyenoord in the first Champions League fixture.

The first-half was far too tedious for Manchester City to score and take the lead at home. Yet, there's no denying the fact that the game could have been put to bed way early in the second-half.

Forwards Aguero and Gabriel Jesus both seemed relatively quiet in the game. Aguero had two good chances with a penalty and a sleek David Silva lob but failed to score for City. Gabriel Jesus was withdrawn early in the 55th minute after failing to make a mark as Raheem Sterling entered the fray.

In the first 45 minutes, Sane created a fantastic chance but missed the far post by a few inches.The second-half saw a host of chances with Aguero missing the penalty and Sterling missing the net after a low cross from De Bruyne. Just back from another injury, Ilkay Gundogan set up Leroy Sane with a swift through ball but his German teammate failed to convert it.

Looking at the rued opportunities, Man City could have easily beaten Shakhtar by three or four goals to nil.

#4: Shakhtar looked a promising side

Bernard was menacing on the left in the first half versus City.

No Ukranian team had won in England in a total of 27 attempts. Shakhtar Donetsk came to the Etihad only to be beaten for the sixth time out of seven matches in the country.

Although Paulo Fonseca's team fell short of the Guardiola's giants, Shakhtar looked like a team to beat in the first half. Since the appointment of Fonesca, Shakhtar have won 48 and lost 6 in 61 matches.

The first half started as with City pressurizing the Ukrainians in their own half. But, after the first twenty minutes, Shakhtar gained stability and looked dangerous through the flanks, with Bernard and Marlos particularly menacing on the counter-attacks. Bernard was the stand-out performer for the Ukrainians as Shakhtar frustrated Guardiola in the first 45 minutes.

The Ukrainians were first to give an early scare on 10 minutes when Fernandinho denied Fred a shot on goal. Although chances in the second half were scarce, Shakhtar still held a good defence denying the Citizens a host of chances.

Although they are third favourites after Napoli and Man City to qualify for the next round, the Ukranian heavyweights look completely capable of causing a major upset by December.

#3: Fernandinho: The Unsung Hero

Fernandinho was instrumental in City's defence.

On a night where City's midfield made headlines, Fernandinho was quite the unsung warrior in the Citizens' squad.

Facing his former club where he plied his trade for eight seasons, Fernandinho was instrumental in the defence. He was easily the best player at Etihad in the first half after making some crucial tackles and blocks as the midfielders struggled to break the deadlock. It was Fernandinho's inch-perfect slide-tackle on Fred that saved City from trailing Shakhtar Donetsk.

Playing as a centre midfielder in a three-man midfield, the Brazilian's role of dropping back to defend helped Kyle Walker and Fabian Delph to make attacking runs on either side. This was an added incentive for Leroy Sane and Kevin De Bruyne who could pile pressure on the Shakhtar's defenders.

A player who can be great going forward, Fernandinho's sacrifice to stay back and hold the midfield will certainly not go unappreciated by boss Pep Guardiola.

#2: Aguero was an unexpected disappointment

Sergio Aguero was an unexpected disappointment at the Etihad.

After hitting top form in the Premier League, Aguero was expected to replicate that in the Champions League. However, the City fans faced an unexpected disappointment with Aguero misfiring obvious shots on goal. The Argentine has to wait until the weekend to equal Eric Brook's record goal haul.

Aguero scored over the weekend and was just one short of breaking City's all-time top scorer record. In the first half, the Argentine had a great chance after De Bruyne made space with a lob. But Aguero was too hasty and shot it right at Pyatov's hands.

In the next 45 minutes, magician David Silva conjured another sweet lob inside the penalty box for Aguero to score, but Pyatov succeeded in denying him again. The penalty was the best chance for the number 10 to make it 177 goals for the Citizens, but yet again Pyatov tried emerged victorious, denying the shot Aguero had curled low in the left.

Guardiola withdrew the star striker five minutes from time. The City fans were disappointed, hoping Aguero doesn't repeat the same performance in City's crunch clash against Chelsea in London on weekend.

#1: Manchester City's stellar midfield

De Bruyne was the stand-out performer fro Manchester City.

The best thing City fans can be happy about. Midfielders David Silva, Leroy Sane, Kevin De Bruyne and Fernandinho were right on track as City defeated Shakhtar 2-0 at the Etihad.

Fernandinho shined in the centre of the park with his holding role. David Silva was particularly quiet in the first half. but the Spaniard was quick to make his mark by setting up De Bruyne to score City's first goal. The magician was applauded as he left the field to make way for Bernardo Silva in the 81st minute.

Kevin De Bruyne put up a man-of-the-match performance after creating a host of chances. The Belgian scored with a beautiful finish from 25 yards out as City gained the lead over their opponents. De Bruyne was equally good in the first half, creating three good chances while playing in the midfield. He would have assisted a goal, had Sterling netted his perfect pass in the penalty box.

Leroy Sane was excellent with his dribbles that caused trouble for the Shakhtar defence. City fans stood on their toes as the German produced a swift one-two with David Silva on the left.

Sane's best moment came up after he took the ball from Delph and dribbled into the box amidst a plethora of defenders. Although he failed to score, Sane was appreciated for his silky dribbling skills. The 21-year-old continued to dazzle the Etihad with mazy runs in the second half.

Rest assured, Antonio Conte does have a tough task at hand when he faces Manchester City at the Stamford Bridge on the weekend.