Manchester City have taken a big step towards reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the first time in their history courtesy of a 3-1 victory over Dynamo Kiev at the Olympic Stadium this evening.
Manuel Pellegrini's side put in a textbook away performance in the first leg to end a three-match losing streak in all competitions and take complete control of the tie at the halfway stage.
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The hosts had not played a competitive match since the final Champions League group game on December 9, but they had the first opening of the game as Joe Hart almost dropped a howler after just four minutes when he palmed an Andriy Yarmolenko cross onto the top of his own crossbar.
Oleksandr Shovkovskiy was called into action for the first time shortly afterwards as he got down to make a routine stop from a Yaya Toure effort, before Lukasz Teodorczyk flashed a low strike narrowly wide of the near post at the other end.
The match was only 15 minutes old when City got their first away goal, with Toure knocking David Silva's corner down to Sergio Aguero, who controlled the ball before rifling it past the keeper from close range.
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The visitors were gaining an increasing degree of control over the match despite Kiev seeing more of the ball, and they came close to doubling their advantage midway through the first half when Aguero drilled an effort narrowly wide of the far post after Fernando had won the ball back high up the pitch.
Dynamo Kiev's unconvincing start saw Sergiy Rebrov make a tactical switch after just half an hour, and it almost paid immediate dividends when substitute Miguel Veloso latched on to a corner straight after coming on, but he couldn't steer his header towards goal.
It was City who were creating the vast majority of the chances, though, and they came close once more with 10 minutes remaining of the half when Fernando again stole the ball back before combining with Aguero to find Toure, whose low strike was kept out by Shovkovskiy.
There was nothing the keeper could do to prevent the visitors from eventually grabbing their second goal of the contest, though, as Aguero and Raheem Sterling linked up to put the ball on a plate for Silva, who was left with a simple finish from close range.
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City weren't quite done in the first half, though, and should have had a third just two minutes later when Fernandinho found Aguero clean through on goal, but the Argentine dragged his effort wide of the far post.
Fernando offered one last threat with a header from a free kick before the interval, but it was Kiev who provided the first threat of the second half when Yarmolenko cut inside and fired a low strike narrowly past the target.
It would prove to be a warning shot that City did not heed as Kiev pulled a goal back through Vitaliy Buyalskyi shortly before the hour mark, with his crisp first-time strike deflecting off Nicolas Otamendi after the City defender had only cleared the ball as far as the edge of the box.
City almost restored their two-goal advantage in fortuitous fashion when a clearance struck Fernandinho and went straight at the keeper, who gratefully fell on the ball to prevent Aguero from feeding on the scraps.
Hart was called into action at the other end moments later to keep his side ahead, getting down quickly to push a low Buyalskyi strike away from goal after good work from Veloso.
The visitors should have had their third of the evening with just eight minutes remaining when Sterling stood the ball up for Toure in the middle, but the midfielder somehow planted a free header wide of the target from just a few yards out.
The Ivorian would atone for that miss in the final minute of normal time, though, as he played a one-two with Fernandinho before curling the ball into the far corner to leave Kiev with a daunting task heading into the second leg at the Etihad Stadium on March 15.
Barney Corkhill
