David Silva earns Manchester City crucial late winner against impressive Hoffenheim

Hoffenheim 1-2 Manchester City: The Premier League champions were pushed close by Julian Nagelsmann's impressive side but took away three much-needed points

(AFP/Getty)

David Silva has won two European Championships and one World Cup, but the Champions League is the one that still drives him on. He is 32 years old now and will not get many more shots at it. So here in Germany, with three minutes left in this frustrating game, Silva got City’s campaign back on track.

Without Silva’s late winner, City would be stuck on one point at the wrong end of Group F, facing more finals just to get them into the last-16. Pep Guardiola said on Monday he wanted his team to “suffer” in the group stage, but this would have meant some extreme masochism.

So Silva intervened. It was a goal of instinct, anticipation and ruthlessness, one that needed him to be at his sharpest even at the end of a game in which everyone else looked exhausted. Because up until then City had struggled, looking vulnerable on the break to a very impressive Hoffenheim side. It was only late in the second half when Guardiola switched to 3-4-3, making crucial changes, that City got a hold on the game.

They started as if they had no idea what they were dealing with. Back in the opening seconds, the City defence were still trying to come to terms with Hoffenheim, trying to get their bearings, but before they could do that they have conceded the goal. That is the challenge of the Champions League, where one glimpse of weakness is enough for the opponent to pounce. It took Kerem Demiray one look in midfield to roll a pass forward, through the gap between Aymeric Laporte and Nicolas Otamendi, onto Ishak Belfodil’s run. Ederson came out but Belfodil was too sharp, tucking the ball past him, 44 seconds on the clock.

Hoffenheim had started the game on the front foot but they were in no mood to defend for the next 89 minutes. Their game is all about pressing and aggression so they continued to attack, with their physical frontline and their busy midfield. Knowing how dangerous City would be on the break, Hoffenheim switched to a 3-4-3 when City had the ball, Justin Hoogma dropping from midfield in between their two centre-backs. But even then they could stop City from equalising, and it only took six minutes.

David Silva teased a pass in behind right-back Joshua Brenet, and Leroy Sane pulled the pass back. Aguero waits for no-one at the near post and he muscled both Kevin Akpoguma and Stefan Posch out of the way and finished from there.

Hoffenheim scored within the first minute (AFP/Getty Images)

That could have set City on their way but in reality the rest of the first half was delicately balanced between two sides each at their most dangerous when the other had the ball. City had to do more defending than they liked to, but one back to front break ended with Baumann saving from Sterling, and another Ederson long kick saw Aguero’s shot saved. Hoffenheim’s breaks were just as threatening, and wen Laporte accidentally played in Belfodil, they were relieved he did get his second.

City needed more in the second half but they were caught in the same squeeze as they had been before. They could not get round the Hoffenheim defence, and whenever they were countered on they looked slow and clumsy, always conceding needless free-kicks. But then they started Nicolas Otamendi and so the lack of pace or discipline shuld not have been a surprise.

So Otamendi came off for John Stones, and Ilkay Gundogan for Bernardo Silva. City switched to a 3-4-3, with Stones in holding midfield and both Silvas as the two creators behind the front three. It was an especially Guardiola answer, but when Sane raced through, was tripped by Baumann, and did not get the penalty, it felt as if it would not be rewarded.

City earned their first points of the campaign (Getty)

Even with three minutes left, City were still heading for a 1-1 draw that would have left their Group F progress in serious trouble. But this time Guardiola was vindicated right at the very end. Bernardo Silva swung in a cross from the left, Stefan Posch chested it down at the near post but he did not realise David Silva was bursting into the box. He stole the ball, controlled it, and beat Baumann in one ruthless move. He wants to give this campaign everything he has.