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      Man City’s title bid is being derailed by the loss of Pep Guardiola’s secret weapon he feared it was a ‘mistake’ to sell

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      MANCHESTER City’s title bid is being derailed by the absence of a key player from last season.And we’re not talking about injured midfield lynchpin and Ballon d’Or winner Rodri.Julian Alvarez was a key figure in Manchester City winning their fourth title in a rowCredit: GettyBecause although the Spain midfielder was undeniably crucial to the triumphs of his club and country, Julian Alvarez was front and centre (and sometimes wide) in Pep Guardiola’s side in 2023/4.And selling Alvarez to Atletico Madrid for a massive profit in the summer is no longer looking like quite as good a deal for City.It was not only the Argentinian World Cup winner’s 11 goals and nine assists in 36 PL appearances that was important to City.Nor was Alvarez just a useful replacement for Erling Haaland and Kevin de Bruyne when they were injured.READ MORE FOOTBALLThe versatile star also gave Guardiola the freedom to rotate his attacking options during or between games, keeping them out of the “red” zone and giving them the chance to perform at their peak more often.But Alvarez wanted to be the main man, playing regularly in a No 10 or No 9 role. That was not going to happen any time soon, so when Atletico offered him the chance to swap Manchester, where he had never really settled, for Madrid, he wanted the move.And City regarded as good business a fee of up to £81.5m for a wantaway player who cost an initial £14m in 2022.Yet Guardiola knew at the time that the sale of Alvarez could come back to bite his team, admitting “if we have many, many injuries it will be a problem”.Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSGuardiola added: “Maybe it is a mistake, I don’t know, but I don’t like leaving players without playing for a long time. Pep Guardiola admits Man City were ‘hungover’ for FA Cup final defeat against Man Utd following Premier League title bash “When everyone is involved with a chance to play, the performance of the teams is always better.”Unfortunately for City, they have a lot of players without a chance to play at the moment.On the flipside, title rivals Arsenal are also feeling the effects of losing key players.And the Gunners are more dependent on their starting 11 than City and so less equipped to cope with injuries.Last season, four of Mikel Arteta’s squad played more than 3,000 minutes in the Premier League – William Saliba, Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Magalhaes.Not a single City player did the same, with Rodri’s 2,937 league minutes putting him top of their workload charts but also behind Ben White (2,995) and only just ahead of Bukayo Saka (2,933).Phil Foden, second in the City rankings with 2,865, would have been eighth in the Arsenal list.The Gunners are undoubtedly suffering from the loss of injured captain Odegaard, whose skillset would be difficult for anyone to replace.But a slight drop-off in form from 2023/4 ever-present Saliba and partner Gabriel is also being felt, because of injuries and a lack of match sharpness among the defensive cover.Last weekend both Arsenal and City learned once more what can happen even to them if their best players are not fit and/or firing.Josko Gvardiol gave City hope at Bournemouth but the champions slipped to a 2-1 defeatCredit: AlamyFor most of the defeat against Bournemouth, Guardiola’s men looked pretty toothless, with Haaland struggling to make an impact and a lack of options on the bench to replace him.Andoni Iraola’s men were good value for their win.And Arsenal gave one of their flattest performances of the last two and a bit seasons at St James’ Park, as hosts Newcastle deservedly completed back-to-back home victories over the Gunners.At one point on Saturday, all three favourites for the title were losing.But although Liverpool came back to beat Brighton and return to the top of the league, no one at Anfield will be complacent.So far the Reds are coping well with the absence of the injured Diogo Jota, such is the array of attacking options that Arne Slot has.Yet how would they perform if player of the season so far Ryan Gravenberch or Alexis Mac Allister were to be unavailable for an extended period, despite the good form of Curtis Jones?And what if captain Virgil Van Dijk was out? When the Dutchman, like Rodri, suffered a serious knee injury that kept him out for much of the 2020/1 season, Liverpool’s title defence collapsed.While Van Dijk and fellow centre back Joel Matip spent months on the sidelines, then Kop boss Jurgen Klopp desperately tried to plug the gap by moving central midfielders Jordan Henderson and/or Fabinho into the back four.The entire balance of the team was thrown off and the Reds only just scraped into the top four.READ MORE SUN STORIESCity’s overall strength in depth and potential spending power in the January transfer window mean they should still be well capable of maintaining a title challenge. But in a battle that could come down to a handful of points, the sale of Alvarez, as much as Rodri’s injury, may prove crucial. More

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      Why Man Utd’s dubious history of trying to gazump Man City means jury will be out on Ruben Amorim appointment

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      MANCHESTER UNITED have confirmed the appointment of Ruben Amorim as their new team boss.Amorim, 39, was announced on Friday as United’s new head coach – a first in history for the men’s team – and will takeover on November 11.Ruben Amorim is the latest Man Utd signing that was heavily linked to Man CityCredit: EPAUnited have had bad recent experiences with signing stars linked to City, including Cristiano RonaldoCredit: PAAlexis Sanchez is perhaps the worst case of a potential red herring signingCredit: Getty – ContributorThe Portuguese tactician, dubbed the Special One 2.0, had been heavily linked with a number of top clubs around Europe including Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Barcelona.It was also widely reported that Manchester City had sounded out Amorim as the potential successor to Pep Guardiola, if the Spaniard were to leave on the expiry of his contract in 2025.City had distanced themselves from those reports, but the link was only strengthened with the news of Sporting CP director Hugo Viana moving to the reigning Premier League champions next summer. A report during the Amorim-United saga suggested United CEO Omar Berrada had moved for the ex-midfielder due to his intimate knowledge of City’s operation, having previously worked at the club.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLIt means United have moved for another City transfer target in an effort to gazump them.While this new era under Ineos could have already turned the leaf and made this merely coincidental, previous United deals for City targets have not ended well.The most recent major example of this is the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo.”CR7″ made a triumphant return to Man Utd after shock transfer links emerged suggesting he was set to move to Man City.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSUnited moved swiftly to prevent a shock move of the legendary figure to their rivals, and while Ronaldo personally had a good goalscoring season, his arrival severely hindered the overall system of the team and stopped the club from moving for other, more urgently needed, targets.Ronaldo is not the only case of United moving to one-up City, only for the Red Devils to be bitten on the bottom by the deals not working out as well as hoped.Ruud van Nistelrooy hints he wants to stay at Man Utd in plea to Ruben Amorim as interim vows to ‘serve’ clubHarry Maguire and Fred were both linked with City before arriving at Old Trafford.Former academy stars for United and City respectively in Paul Pogba and Jadon Sancho had reportedly drawn from the Etihad outfit before they completed moves to the red side of Manchester. Pogba and Sancho signed for United for £89m and £73m respectively with big hopes behind them being able to lead the club to glory.However, Pogba’s time at Old Trafford did not go to plan with inconsistent performances, while Sancho had an almighty fallout with Ten Hag after a disappointing two seasons before being froze out in his third.Alexis Sanchez is arguably the biggest case of United falling foul of City transfer trickery.Then-Arsenal star Sanchez was known to be pushing for a move away from the Gunners. City were the most heavily-linked club, but like in the aforementioned cases, United made a late move for the attacker, eventually completing a swap deal that saw Henrikh Mkhitaryan go the other way.However, Sanchez bombed at Old Trafford and drained huge resources, with his financial impact working out at a staggering £505,000-a-week, and £11.9m paid for each goal scored.READ MORE SUN STORIESThe consistent red herring results could be a cause for concern given how Amorim had been linked with City in the past. However, a new era could signal a new result. Only time will tell.Ruben Amorim leaves Sporting on a highBy Charlie WyettRUBEN AMORIM would have preferred to leave Lisbon in a blaze of glory after winning a third Primeira Liga title.Yet football does not work like that. And in what was surely his final game before taking charge of Manchester United, Amorim prepared to say his goodbyes at a half-empty Estadio Jose Alvalade in a League Cup quarter-final against Nacional.Sporting won 3-1 thanks to  second-half goals by captain  Morten Hjulmand and Viktor Gyokeres, who scored two.Luis Esteves pulled back for Madeira-based Nacional.The stadium  will be a good deal more lively on Tuesday when Manchester City are here for  a Champions League match — although Amorim should by then have his feet firmly under his desk at Old Trafford.Liverpool and Aston Villa were both interested in Europe’s most sought-after coach. Even City could have been a possible destination post-Pep Guardiola.Yet the United job is one Amorim, 39,  could not turn  down — even if not everyone saw it that way at Sporting last night.There is clearly a huge split in the Portuguese club’s fan base over their coach leaving at this stage of the season with many believing he should have seen the job through.Yet Amorim, along with the three-man coaching team who are expected to follow him, leaves a club in a much better state than when he arrived here in 2020.Inside the stadium, there was applause — albeit muted — when his name was read out before the game along with the line-ups.And there did not appear to be any jeers when Amorim shuffled out from the tunnel awkwardly towards the dugout.So, while his departure is hard to take for some, none of the fans will forget his legacy.This is a club which is back as the dominant force in Portugal. Even this term, Sporting have won their first nine league games, scoring 30 goals and conceding just two.They are also eighth in the Champions League table, which is one hell of an effort.In contrast, Lisbon was not exactly hit by League Cup fever last night.Amorim made lots of changes, which saw Sporting’s star man Gyokeres, the former Coventry striker, start on the bench.There was, however, a first appearance in six weeks for former Tottenham winger Marcus Edwards. He is certainly one player who has been transformed by Amorim since arriving at the club from Vitoria in 2022 and will be sorry to see the coach leave.While he changed his team, Amorim stuck with his tried and trusted formation of a back three.It will certainly be something Manchester United’s fans will have to get used to over the  coming months.But looking at the Premier League table, none of them will be complaining about the change. More

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      I had two choices – either pick up the phone and ask for help or die, admits ex-Man City midfielder Jeff Whitley

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      JEFF WHITLEY has bravely opened up about his battle with addiction and recovery from the depths of despair.The 45-year-old starred for Manchester City and Sunderland and earned 20 caps for Northern Ireland between 1997-2005.Jeff Whitley has shared details about his recoveryCredit: Dave Pinegar – The SunWhitley’s cocaine use began during his addiction to alcoholBut behind the scenes, battles with alcohol and drugs led to problems off the pitch, including bankruptcy and a spell in rehab.Now in a position to help others, Whitley, who is the PFA’S player welfare executive, wants to raise awareness of the dangers behind addiction.He told the BBC: “Nearly every club had moved me on because of the off the pitch antics. Not being able to keep it together or say no to some of the times I went out.”I didn’t know how to keep it under control or even understand what the problem was.READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWS”Eventually the drink and the drugs really started to escalate.”I had two choices. I either keep doing what I’m doing and maybe die, or I pick up the phone and ask for help.”After getting to the point of where he was “sick of feeling this way”, Whitley knew he had to make a change.He phoned the Professional Footballers’ Association for help and, in a time frame that left him “amazed”, he was assessed by Sporting Chance before going through treatment and rehab for 26 days.Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSHe exclusively revealed to The Sun in 2019: “I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and thought, ‘I don’t know who that guy is.’ I’d completely lost myself.”When you’re young and you’ve got a few quid in your pocket, it can be quite exciting and highly addictive.”But you go from being super confident and chatty to wanting to be on your own in complete isolation.”Whitley has been sober since entering rehab, but still continues to attend AA meetings and therapy.Former Man City midfielder Whitley now devotes his time to helping othersAnd after years of drug taking drove one of his brothers, Jack, to suicide in 2017, Whitley knows just how brutal substance abuse can be.In 2019, he backed The Sun’s End of The Line campaign to help raise awareness of the devastating dangers of cocaine and its impact on mental health.He explained: “You’re almost chasing that high from when you first took it, thinking that next line is going to be like the first one you took.”The insane paranoia is mind-blowing. Call it curtan-twitching- any siren, any noise, you think they’re after you. It’s a proper frightening place to be. “Whitley was shipped out on loan to Wrexham and Notts County during the final three years of his City contract, before joining Sunderland in 2003.He explained that the Black Cats, and later Cardiff, then “moved him on” for his off-field antics.His growing addictions ultimately led to his international career coming to a premature end after scoring two goals.Northern Ireland’s 1-0 win over England at Windsor Park in 2005 is one of the most famous nights in the country’s history.However, Whitley had to watch it from home after being sent away from the camp by manager Lawrie Sanchez for going out with team-mate Philip Mulryne.I was sick of being on this hamster wheel of living that way. You’re not living, you’re just existing.Whitley was still playing at a high level for Cardiff, but the damage was done. He would never play for Northern Ireland again.After being left jobless at the end his football career, he briefly worked in car sales before turning his attentions to using his experiences to help others.Jeff Whitley’s PFA WorkJEFF WHITLEY is part of the PFA’s Wellbeing department which provides support to more than 50,000 members.They offer a 24/7 helpline, a national network of counsellors, and a residential rehab at Sporting Chance Clinic.Fellowships, such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Cocaine Anonymous (CA), are available as well with 12-step sponsored programme.The programme provides a solution and 12 steps of how to live life and implement those principles into daily life.The PFA Wellbeing team provide individual action plans for members on issues ranging from anxiety, depression, alcohol, drug use and gambling.They also go into all 92 clubs to assess players and educate Under-18s, U23s, first-team, women’s teams and staff on the dangers of alcohol and drug use.Any current and former PFA members can contact the Wellbeing team with emotional issues on its email address: wellbeing@thepfa.co.ukWhitley added that he understands that some players may not want to pick up the phone or ask for help.”I know how difficult it was for me to reach out. I was sick of being on this hamster wheel of living that way. You’re not living, you’re just existing.READ MORE SUN STORIES”When you are abusing your body with alcohol and drugs, and stuff like that, then you are going to go one of two ways.”Some of the people are not at that point. Just don’t hesitate to reach out, that’s what I would say.”Help for mental healthIf you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support.The following are free to contact and confidential:Mind, www.mind.org, provide information about types of mental health problems and where to get help for them. Email info@mind.org.uk or call the infoline on 0300 123 3393 (UK landline calls are charged at local rates, and charges from mobile phones will vary).YoungMinds run a free, confidential parents helpline on 0808 802 5544 for parents or carers worried about how a child or young person is feeling or behaving. The website has a chat option too.Rethink Mental Illness, www.rethink.org, gives advice and information service offers practical advice on a wide range of topics such as The Mental Health Act, social care, welfare benefits, and carers rights. Use its website or call 0300 5000 927 (calls are charged at your local rate).Heads Together, www.headstogether.org.uk, is the a mental health initiative spearheaded by The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales. More

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      Man City accidentally name injured star with horror broken leg on teamsheet – before quickly correcting mistake

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      MANCHESTER CITY accidentally named an injured star on their bench to play Southampton – before quickly changing it. The Premier League champions host the Saints sitting a point behind leaders Liverpool. Oscar Bobb with manager Pep GuardiolaCredit: PAAnd they went into the match with four first-team players missing; Kevin De Bruyne, Kyle Walker, Jeremy Doku and Jack Grealish. But there was actually a fifth with Oscar Bobb also sidelined – but the matchday teamsheet said otherwise. Bobb – out with a horror broken leg injury – was mistakenly named instead of James McAtee.But City soon amended the mistake with a re-print of the team sheet. READ MORE IN FOOTBALLBobb was a standout in City’s pre-season tour but a freak training injury before the season started has left him sidelined until the New Year. City are still without playmaker Kevin de Bruyne too after he came off in the Champions League against Inter Milan in September. He has missed the last seven games with manager Pep Guardiola unsure when he will return. Guardiola said when probed: “I don’t know. Of course, I prefer to have all of the squad with the amount of games but it is what it is.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS”Hopefully he comes back soon but I don’t know yet. I would like to tell you but I don’t know.” City come into the game having won their last four, running riot midweek with a 5-0 hammering against Sparta Praha. Man City player ratings: Even Pep Guardiola can’t believe how good Erling Haaland is as new Samba man fails to shine (1) More

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      Arsene Wenger demands Premier League rule change and hints Man City won’t face full force of 115 alleged rule breaches

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      ARSENAL legend Arsene Wenger insists Financial Fair Play rules need to change in the Premier League.This comes as Wenger’s former rivals Manchester City are facing a whopping 115 charges of alleged financial breaches.Arsenal legend Arsene Wenger insists the Premier League need to change their Financial Fair Play rulesCredit: SplashWenger predicted Manchester City won’t face the full force of the 115 financial chargesCredit: GettyThe French tactician believes the Prem are putting themselves at a disadvantage compared to other competitive leagues who have changed their own FFP rules.Nevertheless, the 75-year-old hinted that City won’t face the full force of the charges after their most recent landmark legal battle with the Premier League that saw both sides claiming victory.The Citizens had attempted to overturn new rules relating to “Associated Party Transactions” – funding through sponsorship of companies owned by club bosses.And in a major rebuttal of the Prem case, three senior Judges including a former Master of the Rolls ruled that the Prem’s Associated Party Transaction rules meant City were “unfairly blocked” from inking two major deals.Read More on FootballWenger told beIN SPORTS: “I feel the rules of Financial Fair Play today have to be changed in the Premier League.”Because they now face competition from other leagues, who have changed their Financial Fair Play rules.”At the moment you cannot hear a club like Man City being charged by 115 different charges in a football season. I don’t believe in that.”The Premier League already lost a case, the first case against them. I don’t know them [City], I can’t judge them.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS”I just think, 115 different charges against a football club today looks like we are in an international administration. “Financial Fair Play rules have to be changed and made more simple.Did officials cheat Arsenal with dramatic Man City winner and Saliba red card?”They [City owners] came in and they had not faced any Financial Fair Play nor have Chelsea.”Chelsea, they bought my players [from Arsenal] and Chelsea also bought what they wanted because there was no Financial Fair Play rules.” More

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      Man City ‘identify Erling Haaland replacement that would be a bitter blow to Arsenal transfer plans’

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      MANCHESTER CITY have lined up a potential replacement for Erling Haaland, according to reports.Haaland, 24, has once again shown his lethal edge this season with 13 goals in 12 games in all competitions.Man City transfer chiefs have lined up their Erling Haaland replacementCredit: GettyHe netted an acrobatic stunner against Sparta PragueCredit: RexViktor Gyokeres is one of Europe’s most lethal strikers of the past two seasonsCredit: ReutersHe added two more goals to his collection – the first being an acrobatic stunner – on Wednesday night as City won 5-0 against Sparta Prague.However, Haaland is rumoured to be mulling over his future for 2026, with a possible move to Spain on the cards thanks to a £125million release clause in his contract.With that in mind, City transfer chiefs have wasted no time in drawing up plans to replace the clinical Norwegian.And they have landed on one of Europe’s most prolific attackers of the past two seasons, Viktor Gyokeres.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLThe 26-year-old who has previously linked to Arsenal, is remarkably keeping pace with Haaland this season with 13 goals and four assists in 13 games for Sporting Lisbon.He joined the Portuguese outfit in the summer of 2023 after a stellar campaign with Coventry that saw him score 22 goals and add 12 assists in 50 games.The Swede’s debut season in Portugal marked his card as a top forward, scoring 43 goals and adding 15 assists in 50 games – more than Haaland’s 38 goals and five assists in 45 games.According to Sky Sports, the reigning Premier League champions have already contacted the representatives of Gyokeres about coming to the Etihad.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSA significant boost to a possible deal is incoming director of football Hugo Viana, who will arrive from Sporting at the end of the season to replace Txiki Begiristain after 12 years in the job.This has led to speculation about Sporting manager Ruben Amorim also swapping Lisbon for Manchester, with Pep Guardiola openly saying he is unsure whether he will quit City when his contract expires.Man City player ratings: Even Pep Guardiola can’t believe how good Erling Haaland is as new Samba man fails to shine (1)City host Southampton in the league on Saturday before a trip to Tottenham in the League Cup. More

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      Man City player ratings: Even Pep Guardiola can’t believe how good Erling Haaland is as new Samba man fails to shine

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      MANCHESTER CITY put in a five star performance as they romped to victory over Sparta Prague.The Citizens ran out 5-0 winners at the Etihad with Pep Guardiola’s side bagging four goals in the second half.Phil Foden and John Stones both scored against Sparta PragueCredit: GettyErling Haaland scored a brilliant improvised goalCredit: GettyPhil Foden gave the hosts the perfect start as he fired in the opener inside just three minutes.Erling Haaland also got himself on the scoresheet in the second half.The Norweigian striker had plenty of attempts to score, but it was his improvised finish in the 58th minute that found its way past Peter Vindahl Jensen.John Stones made it three with a brilliant looping header to add to his solid performance at the back.READ MORE IN SPORTHaaland got his second in the 67th minute to make it 44 in the Champions League.Matheus Nunes was also impressed as he netted from the spot in the closing stages, which added to his two assists.SunSport’s Ken Lawrence has given his ratings of Pep Guardiola’s side…Stefan Ortega – 5 Almost a spectator, but at least it wasn’t cold or pouring down.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSNathan Ake – 5Back after injury and unlucky to have City’s second chalked off.Manuel Akanji – 5Training games against his own team-mates are far harder than this was.Furious former Champions League finalists’ fans protest against club owner John Stones – 7Followed his winner against Wolves with another towering header.Rico Lewis – 6The young multi-tasker produced a typical all-action displayMatheus Nunes – 7Matheus Nunes set up two of City’s goals and netted from the spotCredit: GettyHe claimed two assists and bagged his first-ever Champions League goal from the spot late on.Savinho – 5Supposed to be the new Samba man but didn’t dance that great.Ilkay Gundogan – 7The midfielder cruised through the 100th Champions League game of his career.Bernardo Silva – 6Quiet, effective and a non-stop cog spinning the City wheel.Phil Foden – 7It was a slick early finish in only his fourth start of the season, but the spark faded.Erling Haaland – 9Even Pep Guardiola couldn’t quite believe his amazing airborne strike before he added his second.The striker reached 44 in the Champions LeagueCredit: ReutersSubsMateo Kovacic (for Bernardo Silva 69) – 5Couldn’t have had an easier task by the time he emerged.James McAtee (for Gundogan 69) – 5A few minutes of Champions League experience with no strain.Josko Gvardiol (for Ake 74) – 5Just a pleasant walk in the park….READ MORE SUN STORIESRuben Dias (for Stones 74) – 5He won’t have minded stretching his legs for a bit.Nico O’Reilly (for Haaland 81) – 5The young attacker replaced a living legend. More

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      Man City 5 Sparta Prague 0: Erling Haaland defies physics to score wonder goal as Pep’s side run riot again

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      ERLING HAALAND continues to defy belief.Manchester City aren’t far off doing the same on night’s like this.Erling Haaland leads the Man City celebrationsCredit: EPAAn absolutely dominant display topped off by a goal from Haaland the likes of which The Etihad has never seen.More of that later.They were set on their way last night through the brilliance of his home grown favourite Phil Foden to give them a half time lead.Haaland seemed to defy physics, gravity and everything else to turn the ball homeon 58 minutes.READ MORE IN football John Stones with a looping header on 64, Haaland with his second four minutes later and Matheus Nunes from the spot two minutes from time completed the rout.First Foden who put his own name in the history books last season winning both the Football Writers and PFA players of the year trophies after bagging 28 goals for his club and country.The start to this season has not been without it’s problems, however, with many wondering why this was only his fourth start to the campaign.Particularly with Kevin de Bruyne out injured.Most read in FootballManager Pep Guardiola has tried to clear it up claiming injury niggles and ilness have been to blame for his stuttering start.CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSHe showed with a cracking goal and an assist in the 4-0 win over Slovan Bratislava on mathday two of this season Champions League that he has lost non his skill for all that.He kept his place against Fulham and it was his ball in for John Stones last gasp goal after coming on as a sub in the second-half.Did officials cheat Arsenal with dramatic Man City winner and Saliba red card?As Guardiola says: “You realise immediately when he is happy and fit and mentally in the right moment, you realise immediately he’s getting better and better.”He showed that after just three minutes against Sparta.Receiving a ball from Manuel Akanji he ducked inside two men, moved the ball onto his left foot and arrowed a shot back arcoss Peter Vindahl into the far bottom corner.City off and running and immediately looking for a second.With his very first touch on 10 minutes Erling Haaland’s header was only denied by a spectacular save from Vindahl.Ilkay Gundogan was making is 100th Champions League appearance, only the 48th player in history to do so and second in City colours after Fernandinho.His corner on 27 minutes found Haaland again with a header but this time his effort was hacked away from in front of the goal.In an instant Sparta broke through Veljko Birmancevic and nearly had an equaliser but City number two goalkeeper Stefan Ortega dived full length to deny him with his finger tips.Phil Foden opened the scoring as he looks to recapture his best formCredit: PAFoden wheels off in celebrationCredit: AFPHe was one of five changes to the starting City side.You can change the names but the football always seems to stay the same.They were camped in the Sparta half for most of game and that dominance showed in the scoreline after the break.Just three three minutes into that second period from Foden’s corner Angelo Preciado headed the ball off his own post.In the ensuing scramble Nathan Ake turned it in but the VAR also spotted a handball by the City player.No worries, City kept at it and when Savinho crossed another Haaland header was denied by another fine save.Then the two combined again and this time the net bulged and the crowd gasped.Savinho raced to the byline and chipped the ball back across goal and then this happened.Haaland soon doubled City’s lead in the most acrobatic of stylesCredit: PAHaaland was in fine form and will look to continue this into the weekendCredit: GettyJohn Stones got in on the goalsCredit: ReutersStones celebrates his strike – becoming a regular occurrence nowCredit: ReutersHaaland took to the air like a karate champion with his back to goal and in mid air flicked out his  left boot out to connect with the ball on the volley and send it past a stunned Vindahl.Nobody in the stadium was quite sure at first how he had scored it.Even Pep Guardiola who has seen it all was checking with his bench what had happened.As the feat was replayed on the stadiums big screens the roars were replaced by expressions and sounds of disbelief.Wow just wow.Sunday’s hero Stones popped up with the third, a towering header from Matheus Nunes cross.The fourth was another thing of beauty for different reasons as City glided their way upfield sharing the ball between the players.Rico Lewis, having a fine game turned and began it all finding Foden who strode down the centre of the park like he owned.He offloaded the ball to Nunes, and as the Sparta players looked this way and that the ball came back inside for Haaland to curl a low shot in.Nunes got the goal his performance deserved after two assists as he was allowed to take the late penalty.READ MORE SUN STORIESCity exceptional.Haaland, unbelievable.The powerful striker was just unplayable at the EtihadCredit: AFPIt was most certainly Haaland’s night under the lightsCredit: GettyMatheus Nunes capped off the routCredit: RexNunes converted from the spotCredit: Getty More