Manchester City sweep aside Club Brugge to edge closer to Champions League last-16 qualification

Club Brugge made Manchester City work for it, but goals from Phil Foden, Riyad Mahrez, Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus took them to within one point of last-16 qualification in the Champions League.

This is not Pep Guardiola’s best City side, but looking around Europe there aren’t many better, so perhaps this will be the season that both win the Champions League title that has eluded them for much longer than it ought to have done.

From kick-off, City pinned Brugge back inside their own half, and though they struggled to create much in the way of chances, it was no surprise when, on 15 minutes, they took the lead, Joao Cancelo’s fine, low cross picking out Foden for a tap-in.

But two minutes later, Brugge were level, the impressive Charles De Ketelaere’s cross hitting Bernardo Silva then John Stones on its way past Ederson, and the teams went in level at the break.

It soon became apparent, though, that Brugge had expended the majority of their energy in the first half, and more City goals looked inevitable. Sure enough, they came on 54, 72 and 91 minutes, Mahrez heading home from close-range and Sterling tapping home after good work from Foden and Ilkay Gundogan, before Gabriel Jesus stroked home from the edge of the box in injury-time.

Manchester City are often ridiculed for their inability to sell out their ground, but there are enough people in the locale who support them. If there are empty seats at the Etihad, as there were for tonight’s game, that doesn’t tell us anything about the loyalty of their support, it tells us that tickets are overpriced.

Given the club is owned by plutocrats who’ve spent upwards of a £1 billion on building the team, there is no excuse for this, but the problem is not just City’s – all over Europe, fans are being exploited for their unconditional love. As such, UEFA – and local footballing authorities – should charge clubs for every empty seat, and insist that the day before a game, unsold seats are taken around local schools and handed out for free. The next generation of fans should not be allowed to grow up thinking that football is a TV programme, and should not be excluded from all the benefits - social, educational, inspirational - that football has to offer.

Prompted, harried and carried the ball; just a brilliant player.

Man City: Ederson 6, Walker 6, Stones 6, Laporte 6, Cancelo 7, Gundogan 6, Rodri 6, Bernardo 7*, Mahrez 6, Foden 6, Grealish 6. Subs: Sterling 6, Jesus 6, Zinchenko 6, De Bruyne 6, Palmer 7.

Club Brugge: Mignolet 6, Mechele 6, Hendry 7, Nsoki 6, Sobol 6, Clinton Mata 6, Rits 5, Vanaken 6, Vormer 6, De Ketelaere 8, Lang 6.

Riyad Mahrez has now scored six times against Brugge in the Champions League, three more than he's scored against anyone else.

15’ - Lovely from City, Cancelo finding Grealish, who slides a perfect pass back into his stride and he's in! He could take it closer but opts to chip the keeper ... only to clatter the far post!

15' - GOAL! Manchester City 1-0 Cub Brugge (Foden) City maintain pressure, Mahrez fighting across the face of the box and finding Cancelo, whose low cross is perfect and tapped in by Foden. With the naked eye there was a suggestion of offside, but Sobol played everyone on.

17’ - GOAL! Manchester City 1-1 Club Brugge (Stones own goal) Well! Mechele comes down the right and crosses, De Ketelaere heading down for Vanaken, whose shot is tipped away by Ederson. But De Ketelaere turns the ball back across and Bernardo sticks out a leg, deflecting it onto Stones who turns it in. Do we got ourselves a ball-game?

54’ - GOAL! Manchester City 2-1 Club Brugge (Mahrez) Brugge attack and De Ketelaere takes the ball down well but shoots just wide, then City take advantage of the gaps that attack left. Cancelo retrieves a Mahrez cross that zipped across the box to chip a cross onto the former Leicester man's head, and he punishes past Mignolet from five yards.

72’ - GOAL! Manchester City 3-1 Club Brugge (Sterling) And there it is. As with the second goal, City collected a cross that overran and constructed another attack, the telling pass played by Foden to put Gundogan away down the left of the box. A look, a square ball, and a tap in for Sterling, and this is over.

90+2’ - GOAL! Manchester City 4-1 Club Brugge (Jesus) He gets there in the end. Palmer runs into space at inside right and finds Cancelo, who drives across the face of the box to find Jesus, who opens his body and passes into the corner; Mignolet gets a hand to it, but can't keep it out.