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Manchester City sealed their place in the last 16 of the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League with a narrow yet convincing 1-0 win over Olympiacos at the Karaiskaki Stadium in Athens, thanks to Phil Foden's first-half strike.
Pep Guardiola's side dominated proceedings from the get-go, keeping the hosts pinned in their own half for the majority of the game. Pedro Martins' side adopted an all-hand-at-desk approach in defence, and for the first half an hour of the game, succeeded in keeping the Manchester City attackers at bay.
However, their all-out defensive approach wasn't going to hold them in good stead for too long, and in the 36th minute, Manchester City got their breakthrough. Phil Foden, who already had two shots on goal in the opening half-hour, received a sublime back-heel pass from captain Raheem Sterling to open Manchester City's account on the night.
It was a similar story when the game resumed after the break. The hosts did show some intent in the early stages of the second half, and Pepe and Kostas Fortounis did try to make inroads into the Manchester City box, but the visitors managed to keep their citadel intact.
Manchester City recorded an astonishing 22 shots on the night, with 11 of them finding the target, but only managed to score a single goal. The Greek side only registered their first touch inside Manchester City's box with two minutes left in the game.
On that note, let's take a look at the five talking points from the game as Manchester City returned to winning ways.
#5 Manchester City continue their 100% record in Europe this season
Manchester City's 100% start to the Champions League season continued after their narrow win in Athens. Guardiola's men are just the third side to have won all of their opening four fixtures in the competition in 2020-21, with his former clubs Bayern Munich and Barcelona being the other two.
The loss at Spurs in the Premier League last weekend meant that Manchester City have only 12 points from eight games and are languishing in a lowly 13th place in the league table. Though Manchester City are struggling to get out of the bottom half of the league table, they have managed to secure their passage to the next round of the Champions League and can now shift their focus on league games.
Interestingly, Manchester City have scored ten goals in four games in the Champions League this season, as many as they've scored in the Premier League in eight games. The win at Olympiacos will clearly lift their spirits ahead of their league fixture against Burnley this weekend.
#4 Olympiacos' defensive approach allowed Manchester City to dominate the game
Olympiacos were unbeaten at the Karaiskaki Stadium this season prior to the game against Manchester City. However, from the first kick of the match, it seemed that they only wanted to stop Manchester City from scoring.
To their credit, they defended well in the first quarter of the game, but it was always going to be only a matter of time before Manchester City got on the scoresheet, thanks to Olympiacos' overly defensive approach.
The hosts were without key players, and in attack, it was evident that without a striker, there was no one available to receive the final ball. If not for Jose Sa's heroics between the sticks, the scoreline could've been worse for the hosts.
#3 Joao Cancelo excels at right-back, could give competition to Kyle Walker for a Premier League start
Joao Cancelo had a great game against Olympiacos, as he continued his impressive form for Manchester City. He was very effective at both ends of the pitch, making four tackles as well as having three shots on goal.
He is often criticised for his low work-rate in comparison with that of fellow right-back Kyle Walker, but Cancelo performed well on the night in getting forward and supporting the attack well. At a time when Guardiola is grappling with an injury crisis at the club, having not one but two in-form players to choose from in one position would be a welcome luxury for him.
#2 Manchester City lacks sharpness in front of goal
The performance against Olympiacos was probably the most Manchester City-like outing we have seen this season from Guardiola's men. They dominated possession, pushed their opponents deep into their own half, recovered balls quickly and had plenty of shots on target.
However, the only thing that was missing? Sharpness in front of goal.
Manchester City virtually played the entire game in Olympiacos' half of the pitch and had as many as 22 attempts on goal, with half of them finding the target. For an attacking side like City, they should score more than one goal from as many as 11 shots on target.
The team is sorely missing striker Sergio Aguero's natural instincts in front of goal. While it was good to see him back on the pitch, albeit for a short stint, one would only hope that he is back to full fitness and starts for Manchester City.
#1 Phil Foden shines again in midfield
Phil Foden added to his burgeoning reputation with a match-winning performance at Olympiacos.
The player finished off a brilliant move for Manchester City with a calm finish from Sterling's back-heel assist. In the absence of Kevin De Bruyne, who was rested for the trip to Greece, Foden sparkled in midfield, showing maturity well beyond his age.
Though there was not much of note in the one-sided game, Foden's performance to help City secure a last-16 place in the Champions League was one of the positives for Guardiola during a difficult 2020-21 season, which has not been kind for his beleagured team.
