Manchester City cut a swathe through Sevilla at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, winning 3-1 and leaving Los Rojiblancos’ Champions League future in the balance.
City were two goals clear after little more than 10 minutes, Raheem Sterling and Fernandinho finding the back of the net, and it could have been more even by that early stage.
Benoit Tremoulinas met Coke’s cross to get the home side back in it but Wilfried Bony restored City’s two-goal lead before half time, converting a cross from ex-Sevilla winger Jesus Navas.
Joe Hart has previously prevented Adil Rami making it 2-2 but it was Hart’s Sevilla counterpart Sergio Rico called into action more often.
And Rico had no answer when Navas hit the post with an effort that would have been City’s third goal without reply.
Fernando Llorente and Yevhen Konoplyanka had chances of their own but Sevilla couldn’t find a way back into the tie, and indeed City could have had a fourth if Yaya Toure’s curled effort had beaten Rico, rather than the post.
As it stands Sevilla are third in Group D with three points from four games, ahead of only Borussia Monchengladbach, who held Juventus to a 1-1 draw to claim their second point.
City are through as neither Sevilla nor Gladbach can catch them, leaving the bottom two fighting Juve for the final qualification place, the Old Lady very much in the power position.
Sevilla 1-3 Manchester City
Sterling 8, Fernandinho 11 (MC), Tremoulinas 35 (S), Bony 36 (MC)
Sevilla: Rico; Coke (Mariano 55), Kolo, Rami, Tremoulinas; Krychowiak, Iborra (Krohn-Dehli 46); Vitolo, Banega, Konoplyanka; Llorente (Immobile 65)
Man City: Hart; Sagna, Otamendi, Kompany, Kolarov; Fernando, Fernandinho (Demichelis 90), Toure; Navas, Bony (Delph 86), Sterling (De Bruyne 73)
Referee: Moen [NOR]
