Manchester City 2-0 Shakhtar Donetsk: 5 Talking Points

#1: Manchester City's stellar midfield

De Bruyne was the stand-out performer fro Manchester City.

The best thing City fans can be happy about. Midfielders David Silva, Leroy Sane, Kevin De Bruyne and Fernandinho were right on track as City defeated Shakhtar 2-0 at the Etihad.

Fernandinho shined in the centre of the park with his holding role. David Silva was particularly quiet in the first half. but the Spaniard was quick to make his mark by setting up De Bruyne to score City's first goal. The magician was applauded as he left the field to make way for Bernardo Silva in the 81st minute.

Kevin De Bruyne put up a man-of-the-match performance after creating a host of chances. The Belgian scored with a beautiful finish from 25 yards out as City gained the lead over their opponents. De Bruyne was equally good in the first half, creating three good chances while playing in the midfield. He would have assisted a goal, had Sterling netted his perfect pass in the penalty box.

Leroy Sane was excellent with his dribbles that caused trouble for the Shakhtar defence. City fans stood on their toes as the German produced a swift one-two with David Silva on the left.

Sane's best moment came up after he took the ball from Delph and dribbled into the box amidst a plethora of defenders. Although he failed to score, Sane was appreciated for his silky dribbling skills. The 21-year-old continued to dazzle the Etihad with mazy runs in the second half.

Rest assured, Antonio Conte does have a tough task at hand when he faces Manchester City at the Stamford Bridge on the weekend.