Foden and Haaland inspire Man City success over Dortmund
Phil Foden scored twice and Erling Haaland netted against his former club as Manchester City brushed aside Borussia Dortmund to strengthen their position in the league phase of the Champions League.
Pep Guardiola’s men are unbeaten in their opening four matches and a third win moved them up to fourth in the table, with the top eight sides qualifying automatically for the last 16.
Nico Kovac’s Dortmund side had started on the front foot but faded away as the hosts scored twice in seven first-half minutes to wrestle control of the contest.
Foden was impressive throughout and he stung the palms of Gregor Kobel with a powerful strike from outside the box, before a curling free-kick straight into the hands of the visiting goalkeeper.
It was third time lucky for the Englishman in the 22nd minute, picking the ball up outside the box and, as the Dortmund defenders stood off, Foden rolled a delightful finish low into the bottom corner.
It was his first Champions League goal in exactly a year after netting in a 4-1 defeat by Sporting in last season’s competition.
City then attacked at will and seemed intent on steamrollering the opposition as Kobel tipped over a close-range effort from Nico O’Reilly, before the prolific Haaland thumped home a cutback from Jeremy Doku in the 29th minute.
It was the Norwegian’s fifth successive Champions League strike – becoming the first player to do so for three different teams – RB Salzburg, Dortmund and now City.
Kobel was kept busy, batting away a thunderous drive from Tijjani Reijnders.
But City pushed on after the restart and Foden doubled his tally in the 57th minute by curling home a delightful second.
Dortmund, who are 14th in the table, staged a late rally and Waldemar Anton poked home a consolation from a Julian Ryerson cross.
But substitute Rayan Cherki restored City’s three-goal advantage in added time with a lovely run and neat finish.
Man City analysis: Foden sparkles as more Haaland history
After a sticky start by losing two of their first three games this season, City have hit their stride and gone on a run of just one defeat in their last 13 games, taking apart a tough Dortmund side on Wednesday.
Kick-off was preceded by a light show at Etihad Stadium and the players shone equally brightly as City took their points tally to 10.
Though City went out early in the play-off round last season, their home record in the group phase of this competition is an imposing one, stretching their unbeaten run to 23 games going back seven years.
Midfielder Foden had a couple of sighters before stroking in a glorious opener and added to his tally in the second half with a similar classy effort for his fourth goal of the campaign.
The game had already been taken away from the German side by that stage as the rampant Haaland smacked home a first-time finish.
It was the Norwegian’s 27th goal for club and country in what is turning into a remarkable campaign for the striker as he leads City’s charge on all fronts.
Haaland seems to break records every time he plays and this was another, with a goal now in five consecutive Champions League games for three different clubs following his exploits for RB Salzburg and Dortmund.
City will also be buoyed by Cherki’s late impact, the Frenchman showcasing further evidence of his qualities with a third goal this term after providing two assists for Haaland in Sunday’s victory over Bournemouth.
Borussia Dortmund analysis: Guirassy quiet as defensive struggles show
Dortmund came into this clash sitting third in the Bundesliga – seven points adrift of runaway leaders Bayern Munich – and having scored four goals in each of their three Champions League matches this term.
But any hope of making it four in a row, and becoming the first team in history to do so, were over once City started to purr in attack.
They were outplayed for large periods and fortunate not to be on the receiving end of a thumping, with goalkeeper Kobel making a total of eight saves.
Dortmund have now won only one of their seven meetings with City as they dropped down the standings.
Former Sunderland midfielder Jobe Bellingham and ex-Brighton man Pascal Gross were part of four changes that helped spark late pressure from the Germans, but key striker Serhou Guirassy endured a frustrating night.
He has eight goals in all competitions this season, but had one notable attempt that forced City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma into a routine save at his near post.
German defender Anton converted a fine finish to ruin City’s clean sheet, but Dortmund conceded again before the end to highlight their struggles at the back.
What’s next for these teams?
Manchester City face a huge Premier League clash at home to champions Liverpool on Sunday, 9 November (16:30 GMT), while they host Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League next on Tuesday, 25 November (20:00 GMT).
Niko Kovac’s Dortmund travel to Hamburg in the Bundesliga on Saturday, 8 November (14:30), and host Villarreal next in the Champions League on Tuesday, 25 November (20:00 GMT).
