(Football news) Manchester City came into this match with a two-goal advantage, having won the first leg 3-1 in Denmark three weeks prior.
At the Etihad on Sunday, Manchester City defeated rivals Manchester United 3-1, rallying from behind at halftime to secure their 17th victory of an incredible 19-game unbeaten streak across all competitions. This result boosted their ambitions of winning the Premier League.
The reigning champions were left stunned when Marcus Rashford scored a 25-yard screamer in the eighth minute to put the Red Devils in front, but they eventually prevailed in dominant fashion, as a superb second-half brace from Phil Foden – labelled the best player in the Premier League by manager Pep Guardiola – and a stoppage-time strike from Erling Haaland secured three important points and the bragging right for the jubilant hosts.
With 11 Premier League games remaining, Manchester City currently sit second in the table and only one point behind leaders Liverpool, who welcome the Citizens to Anfield for a mouthwatering, and potentially pivotal, top-of-the-table showdown on Sunday.
An FA Cup quarter-final tie with Newcastle United is also on the horizon for Guardiola and co, but the treble chasers must first shift their attention back to the Champions League as they endeavour to finish the job against Copenhagen and secure a safe passage through to the quarter-finals for the seventh successive season.
Goals from Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and Foden helped Manchester City run out victors against Copenhagen on February 13, and the Citizens – who have not lost any of their five meetings with the Danish outfit – will fancy their chances of success on Wednesday, with victory enabling them to become just the third team in Champions League history to register at least 10 consecutive wins in the competition after Real Madrid (10 up to February 2015) and Bayern Munich (10 up to November 2013 and 15 up to November 2020).
Copenhagen had cause for optimism going into their last-16 first-leg tie with Man City, having only participated in the Champions League knockout stages twice in their history and for the first time since 2010–11. They had taken eight points from six group-stage games, including wins over Man United and Galatasaray, to finish second behind group winners Bayern.
Midway through the first half, debutant Magnus Mattsson gave Parken Stadium a raucous cheer as he scored a sweet first-time strike to cancel out De Bruyne’s opener. However, despite their admirable efforts, the holders were unable to match them as Bernardo restored City’s lead just before halftime, and Foden added a third in stoppage time in the second half.
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