Manchester City 2-1 Napoli: Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus strike but Ederson required to save Dries Mertens penalty as early magic fizzles out

• e-mail

Manchester City got what they wanted from this game, a victory. That's nine points out of nine in Group F, which means they have done many of the hard yards of qualification before the clocks have even gone back.

This was a good Napoli team they beat here, too. Top of Serie A, they had scored almost as many goals as City prior to this meeting. The scores were 37 to 34.

But the fact that margin had increased only from three to four goals at the end of this game relayed the fact that Pep Guardiola and his gilded team did not, for once, have everything their own way. 

Raheem Sterling runs away in celebration after scoring Manchester City's first goal of the game against Napoli

Sterling curls the ball into the net from 12 yards out after being first to react to Kyle Walker's (left) blocked effort

Sterling is congratulated by his Manchester City team-mates after giving them the lead eight minutes into the first half

Gabriel Jesus pulls out his trademark celebration after doubling Manchester City's lead five minutes after Sterling's opener

Jesus is left with the simplest of tap-ins after he was expertly found in the box by great pass from team-mate Kevin De Bruyne

Ederson of Manchester City saves a penalty from Dries Mertens to keep their clean sheet intact going into half-time

MATCH FACTS, PLAYER RATINGS AND MATCH ZONE 

Manchester City (4-3-3): Ederson 8; Walker 6, Stones 6.5, Otamendi 6.5, Delph 7; Fernandinho 5.5, D Silva 6 (Gundogan 76); De Bruyne 7; Sterling 7 (B Silva 70, 6.5), Jesus 7 (Danilo 87), Sane 6.5 

Subs not used: Bravo, Aguero, Toure, Mangala.

Goals: Sterling 8; Jesus 13

Booked: Walker, De Bruyne

Napoli (4-3-3): Reina 6; Hysaj 6.5 (Maggio 70, 6), Albiol 5.5, Koulibaly 6, Ghoulam 6.5; Zielinski 6, Diawara 6, Hamsik 6.5 (Ounas 78); Callejon 6, Mertens 6, Insigne 6 (Allan 57, 6)

Subs not used: Sepe, Jorginho, Maksimovic, Rog.

Goals: Diawara 71

Booked: Albiol, Maggio

Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (Spain)

Raheem Sterling finishes following Kyle Walker's blocked shot. CLICK HERE to see more from our brilliant Match Zone service. 

Advertisement

It was, on reflection, a very strange game of football but certainly a good one. For the first 25 minutes City were majestic. Two goals up after only 13 minutes, they threatened to sweep Napoli away on a familiar tide of sky blue energy.

Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus scored early and they were familiar goals, created with such deftness and expertise that the actual scoring was the easy bit.

There could have been more, too. David Silva missed a good chance while Kevin De Bruyne hit the bar and Sterling was denied a second by the width of the goal line.

But as time wore on, Napoli regrouped and found territory and confidence, while City lost both. Dries Mertens saw a penalty saved by City goalkeeper Ederson late in the first half but Amadou Diawara did not miss his spot kick when presented with the opportunity with 18 minutes left.

After that, City were hanging on and had Napoli breached them for a second time nobody could really have said they didn't deserve it. 

So this turned out to be a night when we saw a spell of the new City, breathless and inspiring, but also an unexpected dose of old City as well. 

De Bruyne is congratulated by team-mates Leroy Sane and Sterling after providing the assist for Jesus' strike

Martens of Napoli tries to motivate his team-mates as they walk back to their positions following Manchester City's second

Manchester City's Belgian midfielder De Bruyne watches his shot rattle the crossbar as he comes within inches of scoring

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has a chat with star man De Bruyne during Tuesday's Champions League clash 

For the neutral — and indeed their Premier League rivals —this was perhaps no bad thing. Nobody wants a perfect football team, after all. Where is the fun in that?

As for the City coach, it merely presents Guardiola with the first hint of a puzzle this season. Everything had looked so easy prior to this. Even a recent afternoon at champions Chelsea had proved straightforward.

But here the Catalan saw his team show a little of the fallibility that so dogged them at times last season.

At half-time De Bruyne, Silva and Fernandinho bickered as they left the field. Later, Fernandinho and Fabian Delph got in a tangle and presented Marek Hamsik with an open goal. Somehow, John Stones blocked.

So it was a night of pluses in terms of the result and some of the early football and a minus for what happened subsequently. Early on, City were as hypnotically good as they had been in demolishing Stoke City here at the weekend. Guardiola fielded the same starting 11 and his players flew from the traps breathing fire. 

It's funny how confidence breeds football such as this. The likes of Sterling — five goals in seven games beforehand — and De Bruyne had an air of utter certainty about their football and it was terrific to watch. 

Walker conceded a penalty and was shown a yellow card after hauling Napoli's Raul Albiol to the ground in the box

Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson (left) is congratulated by defender John Stones after saving Mertens' penalty kick

Napoli star Faouzi Ghoulam goes down under the challenge of Fernandinho (not pictured) to win a penalty

Diawara, taking over from Mertens, fires the ball into the far corner to beat Ederson and bring Napoli within one goal

It took City only nine minutes to score and the pattern was familiar. A crossfield pass from Fernandinho found Leroy Sane and when he released Silva to the byline, the low cross was converted by Sterling after Kyle Walker's first effort had been blocked. City were swarming all over Napoli and an avalanche of goals seemed likely.

Italian coach Maurizio Sarri had sprayed Guardiola with compliments beforehand, asking that his team suffer a quick death if indeed a kill it was to be.

By the quarter hour, he looked as though he may get his wish. Napoli defender Raul Albiol headed a centre straight to De Bruyne and when the Belgian crossed low the same player could not intercept and Jesus swept home at the far post.

It was easy for City and embarrassing for an Italian team that arrived with such a reputation.

De Bruyne then hit the bar from 25 yards and Sterling was denied by a combination of keeper Pepe Reina and defender Kalidou Koulibaly as the ball briefly came to rest right on the line. 

Another goal at that point and this contest was over. But Napoli, driven on by their exasperated coach, slowly began to find themselves and they had already threatened when Walker climbed over Albiol in the 38th minute to concede a penalty. 

Amadou Diawara of Napoli runs back to the centre circle with the ball after pulling a goal back from the penalty spot

Sergio Aguero is all smiles as he walks down the Etihad tunnel after being deemed fit enough to be on the bench

Manchester City midfielder David Silva and Napoli's Elseid Hysaj battle for the ball during an encounter in the first half

Spanish midfielder Silva had to have his head bandaged after a clash of heads with a Napoli opponent during Etihad fixture 

De Bruyne's pass evades Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly and finds Jesus free in the box, who finishes the chance

Centre forward Mertens struck it reasonably well but Ederson was bright enough to delay his dive a fraction and save with his legs.

With their lead in tact at the break, that should have been enough for City. A really top draw European team would have been able to come out and close this game down.

But City couldn't do it. They tried to reassert themselves with an increase in tempo but they only grew uncertain at the back. Not surprisingly, Napoli targeted stand-in full back Delph and he had his moments of nervousness.

But the second penalty of the night came from the other side as Faouzi Ghoulam drove hard at Fernandinho and the retreating Brazilian brought him down. Diawara's kick was placed well and this time Ederson could not save.

Napoli were back in the game and nobody would have been surprised had an equaliser come in the remaining 18 minutes.

So a night that began gleefully and expressively ended with something of a reality check for City. It may not be a bad thing. And, anyway, they won. Again.

Fernandinho of Manchester City tackles Napoli forward Lorenzo Insigne as the Champions League group tie continues

Napoli goalkeeper Pepe Reina blocks a shot from Jesus to prevent Napoli falling further behind in the Champions League tie

Manchester City manager Guardiola gives instructions to an injured Silva after they struggle to hold off Napoli

Manchester City stars embrace one another on the pitch after sealing a third victory in their three group games