24th victory in the 25th match, the infernal machine Manchester City does not intend to stop there.
Already winner in the first leg 2-0, the return match last night turned into a real formality for the Citizens.
A goal from Kevin De Bruyne (12th) then Ilkay Gundogan (18th) extinguished the hopes of Borussia Mönchengladbach to revive the stake of this confrontation.
"After these two magnificent goals, everything was simpler" logically summed up the Spanish coach at the head of this team, appearing intractable in all circumstances.
7 - Manchester City are only the third team in the history of the Champions League to keep their clean sheet in 7 consecutive meetings after AC Milan (7 until April 2005) and Arsenal (10 until April 2006 ).
Wall.
pic.twitter.com/HLLTNknxLR
- OptaJean (@OptaJean) March 16, 2021
This impression is characterized by one statistic: it is the seventh consecutive match in the Champions League without conceding a goal.
In other words, out of the eight games played by Manchester City in European competition this season, the SkyBlues have conceded only one goal, it was against Porto in the group stage.
“It's impressive and we can't deny that Ruben (Dias) and John (Stones) have given the team a big step forward,” added Pep Guardiola at the microphone of BT Sport.
A full group
The Mancunian coach can finally congratulate himself on having found a central hinge to meet his expectations.
The defensive strength of the Stones-Dias pair is akin to the click he had been waiting for since his arrival at the club in 2016. To this is added a whole group, spared from injuries.
On the other hand, the offensive strength of this team lies in its number of players capable of turning into scorers.
When it is not Riyad Mahrez, Phil Foden, or Bernardo Silva, there are Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan to take care of it as was the case last night.
Another statistic, Pep Guardiola has seen each of his teams score more than 100 goals each season since coaching on a bench for 12 years, a sign of indecent consistency.
Pep Guardiola has seen his teams score 100+ goals in all competitions in all 12 seasons in his coaching career ⚽️ # UCLpic.twitter.com / n9y984X4T4
- UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) March 16, 2021
Now, the Premier League leader with 14 points ahead of his rival from Le Mans can begin to dream of an idyllic end to the season.
Almost guaranteed to regain the national title obtained in 2018 and 2019, Manchester City is still involved in all competitions.
Pep Guardiola seems more armed than ever in the Champions League to reach the quarter-finals, a stage he has never passed since he took over this team, five years earlier.
Read also
Manchester City join the European top 8