Three Key Takeaways: Manchester City Fight Back vs. Monaco

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 21: David Silva of Manchester City and Bernardo Silva of Monaco in action during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 first leg match between Manchester City FC and AS Monaco at Etihad Stadium on February 21, 2017 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images) /

Pep Guardiola‘s Manchester City took a huge first step to a quarterfinal berth in the UEFA Champions League after a 5-3 first leg victory over A.S. Monaco Tuesday evening.

The Citizens hosted Monaco at the Etihad on Tuesday for the first leg before traveling to the Stade Louis II on March 15th for the return leg. Manchester City were coming into this match off a 0-0 F.A. Cup fifth round draw vs Huddersfield Town, while Monaco drew at Bastia 1-1 last Friday in Ligue 1 action.

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26 minutes in, Manchester City took a 1-0 lead as Raheem Sterling tapped home Leroy Sane‘s assist. However, Radamel Falcao equalized for Monaco six minutes later from a diving header inside the box. Sergio Aguero was denied a penalty kick claim in the 35th, after the forward looked to have been brought down by Monaco keeper Danijel Subasic.

18-year-old Kylian Mbappe-Lottin flipped the match in Monaco’s favor five minutes to halftime, as he rifled past Willy Caballero. Heading into halftime down 2-1 at home, Pep Guardiola knew his side needed to be better in all aspects for a chance to win.

Manchester City were given a life-line in the 50th minute as Caballero made a huge penalty save on Falcao in the bottom right corner. Sergio Aguero equalized for the hosts in the 58th as his effort went in after it looked that Subasic had it covered.

The goal of the night went to Falcao in the 61st minute as he chipped Caballero for a 3-2 Monaco lead. Aguero doubled his tally in the 71st from a right-footed volley to make it 3-3 before Manchester City took control.

Six minutes later following a corner, John Stones netted his first European goal as he tapped home Yaya Toure‘s cross for a 4-3 City advantage. In the 82nd minute, Sane capped off a superb comeback by tapping in Aguero’s unselfish assist for a 5-3 final score.

Guardiola’s men held 67% of the possession, while having six efforts on target. Monaco had six efforts on target as well, while both teams looked dismal in defense. Following the match, Pep Guardiola praised his team’s efforts but knows work must be done to advance, in an interview with BBC Sport.

“I am so happy for the result, we are still alive. These kind of things help this club to achieve another step. We attacked in small spaces. That’s why they wanted me to come here. Everybody has to be congratulated. We are going to fly to Monaco to score as many goals as possible. If we don’t score in Monaco we will be eliminated.”

Following the dramatic come-from-behind win for Manchester City, here are my key takeaways from the Etihad.

1.) Man City’s heart in fight back must be applauded.
Once Manchester City conceded an early penalty in the second-half, it looked as if they would go on to lose the match. A huge save from Willy Caballero set the tone for a great second-half and an even greater result for the hosts. The wide-players played extremely well, being able to take on the Monaco back-line, while also providing some great distribution. After leveling the match at 3-3, the match could have become more conservative but Manchester City went for the result. A 5-3 first leg victory should do wonders for this team mentally and emotionally. They know if they hold Monaco’s attack to zero goals in the return leg they will advance. If Manchester City can score in Monaco, like they did on Tuesday then the second leg could be a rout.

2.) Defending NEEDS to be better to advance.
In the past few matches, Manchester City’s defending problems looked to have straightened itself out. Those problems were brought back by Monaco, who were able to cause Manchester City fits in the back. Nicolas Otamendi and John Stones had issues with Falcao’s strength and skill, while Mbappe-Lottin had a great game out-wide. For Manchester City to avoid a collapse in France, they need to play a lot better defensively. Whether they bring in a defensive midfielder like Fernando to start or add more help in the back, something needs to change. Monaco are the highest-scoring team so far in Europe’s top-five leagues, so they have enough talent to break you down. With three weeks until the second leg, I expect Guardiola to emphasize more in training on defense ahead of that match.

3.) Sergio Aguero reminds everyone that he can produce.
Once Gabriel Jesus went down at Bournemouth, a lot of people knew Sergio Aguero would be starting once again. After Aguero’s penalty claim was denied, and the forward was booked for diving it looked to not be Manchester City’s evening. In the second-half, Aguero was able to find nice pockets of space in order to net his goals. His pressure on Monaco’s back-line paid off at times, while his supporting cast played extremely well to provide the striker with chances. His two goals last night, gave him 20 now in all competitions, which shows his importance to this team’s success and how far they want to go. I expect Aguero to continue this form as Manchester City look to improve not only in England, but also in Europe.

Manchester City now have a week off until their next fixture. With their weekend Premier League match being cancelled due to Manchester United‘s involvement in the EFL Cup final, Pep knows he has time to rest his players.

Next: Manchester City eye Monaco defender Benjamin Mendy

They host second-tier Huddersfield Town at the Etihad on March 1st in their F.A. Cup replay, knowing a victory would see them travel to Middlesbrough in the quarterfinals later in March.

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