Sergio Aguero was again the headline act as Manchester City sealed an impressive win over holders Porto to reach the last 16 of the Europa League.
The Argentine scored City’s first-leg winner and here he gave them the lead after just 19 seconds with a low shot. He then turned creator for Edin Dzeko to score a goal which Porto’s Rolando was sent off for protesting against. With the tie won, City romped home thanks to well-worked goals from David Silva and substitute David Pizarro.
The victory may not compensate City financially for failing to advance beyond the group stages of the Champions League, but it does go a small way towards making amends for that unplanned early elimination. In the build-up to this encounter, City’s players and staff were eager to express how important this season’s Europa League is to the club – on a level with the Premier League according to manager Roberto Mancini – following their early de-seating from Europe’s top table.
But then, redemption is all the rage at Etihad at the moment, following Carlos Tevez’s unreserved apology “to everyone I have let down” during his five-month feud with the club. Tevez’s future at City remains uncertain, but even if his apology does prove heart-felt, he will have to accept that the position of world-class diminutive Argentine striker is currently filled.
