Dynamo Kiev vs Manchester City match report: Manuel Pellegrini rests easy as City look slick in Kiev

Dynamo Kiev 1 Manchester City 3

Yaya Toure curls in City's third goal of the game (Getty Images)

Manchester City are closer than they have ever been to the quarter-finals of the Champions League, so it would be churlish to point out that they should be even closer than that. City outplayed Dynamo Kyiv in Kyiv last night and their 3-1 margin of victory means that it would take a second-leg catastrophe unrivalled even in City’s proud history for them not to reach the last eight.

Only an extreme pessimist, one too imbued in City’s old way of doing things, would complain that the second leg has not been rendered quite the non-event that it should have been.

This was an authoritative performance from a team that has been waiting for one. All of City’s big players, who have been conspicuous in their anonymity in recent weeks, showed up with performances matching the stakes of the evening.

Joe Hart was commanding and made an important save to stop Dynamo from drawing level at 2-2. David Silva looked sharper than he has done since his injury, back to his old clever best, controlling the game and scoring the second goal. Vincent Kompany gave his best display of a difficult season. And Yaya Toure proved that he can still decide the biggest games, ending the contest in the last minute with a brilliant goal that only he could have scored.

If there was one regret hanging over the evening it was that City did not score twice as many goals as they did. It is no exaggeration to say that they might have been 6-0 up, rather than 2-0, at the end of a first half in which Dynamo played almost no part. Sergio Aguero scored the opener but missed two chances he usually converts without even thinking about. Toure missed a good chance in the first half and a better one when City were hanging on at 2-1 with 10 minutes left. It might have been a very different ending, but Toure made amends soon after.

Sergio Aguero fires City in front in Ukraine (Getty Images)

Now City can look forward to the second leg, back at the Etihad Stadium in three weeks’ time, meaning that even a result as bad as a 2-0 defeat would send them through, not that they would want that to happen. The whole occasion was almost the polar opposite of City’s last two experiences at this stage, two chastening defeats, 2-0 and 2-1, at home to Barcelona.

This time last year City were already out of the Champions League after 45 minutes of their last-16 tie, thanks to the magic boots of Luis Suarez. In this first half in Kyiv, City were almost as superior to their hosts as Barcelona were to City in 2015.

This could have been an intimidating night for Manchester City. They are still relative novices at this stage, and the Olympic Stadium is an imposing echoing place, especially when full of enthusiastic patriotic locals. City came here after three consecutive defeats, with both Manuel Pellegrini and the senior players castigated for their discarding of the FA Cup on Sunday afternoon.

But City looked to blow all of those concerns to pieces with a controlling authoritative first-half performance.

David Silva (left) wheels away after making it 2-0 to the Premier League side (Getty Images)

Pellegrini brought all of his first-team players back into the team and, facing a Dynamo side still waking up from a long winter break, they looked far sharper and faster all over the pitch. Pellegrini’s decision will always be controversial, but City’s energy and power here did justify Pellegrini’s radical re-allocation of resources.

Fernandinho, tucked in on the right wing, gave an extra outlet to a midfield that has often lacked legs. Fernando, the only player to keep his place from Sunday, provided the defensive presence Yaya Toure has always needed.

City took the lead after 15 minutes of sedate football, with a goal that was far too simple to score. David Silva curled in a corner from the left, Toure nodded it down at the far post and Aguero, reacting fastest, controlled the ball and smacked it into the net before any Dynamo defender realised what had happened.

Twice Fernando won the ball in midfield , starting moves that ended with chances to the right of goal. Aguero dragged his shot wide before Toure shot straight at Shovkovskiy. Both should have done better, but the second came five minutes before the break. . Aguero held the ball up on the left hand side, waited and found the overlapping Raheem Sterling. His cross was perfect and up popped Silva at the far post to convert. There was still time for Aguero to miss one with his left foot, and Fernando another with his head, before the interval. City looked pleased enough with their 2-0 lead, but might well have wondered how they were not five goals clear already.

The second half was never going to be as easy as the first, and Dynamo came back with some spirit and purpose. City were forced deeper and deeper and paid a price. Otamendi headed a cross away from goal and there was far too much space for Vitaly Buyalskiy on the edge of the box. His 20-yard shot deflected off the recovering Otamendi, beyond Hart and into the bottom corner.

Suddenly City’s first half looked like profligacy and their play became nervous. Miguel Veloso scuffed a shot wide on the counter, Bukalskiy forced a good save from Hart low to his right. 2-2 would have been a very different evening and when Toure missed a simple header from Sterling’s cross, all their hard work looked at risk of being wasted.

But Toure, even now, towards the end of what might be his last season in Manchester, has the power to do things on the pitch that nobody else can. Just when City were getting nervous, he calmed everyone down, taking the ball 20 yards out, shuffling past two tackles and curling the ball into the far corner with his nominally weaker foot. City could fly home very happy.