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Manchester City vs. CSKA Moscow: Score, Grades & Reaction from Champions League

BR-UK StaffNov 5, 2014

Manchester City's Champions League nightmare continued with a 2-1 defeat at home to CSKA Moscow at the Etihad on Wednesday night, in a match that saw both Fernandinho and Yaya Toure sent off for the home side.

City finished with nine men and with their Champions League hopes hanging in the balance.

Seydou Doumbia scored both goals for CSKA, leaving City with just two points from four games in Group E and facing the prospect of exiting before the knockout round for the third time in four seasons.  

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City got off to the worst possible start, with CSKA taking the lead inside the opening five minutes.

Bebras Natcho was the provider, sending over a curled free-kick from the right that Doumbia headed powerfully past Joe Hart in the City goal.

City fans were hushed, but they soon had something to celebrate after Stevan Jovetic won a free-kick outside the box. Up stepped Yaya Toure, who curled a delightful shot into the top corner to bring the home side level.

That was eight minutes in and it looked to have set City on their way, but CSKA refused to back down against the Premier League champions.

Doumbia missed a chance for the Russians, then Sergio Aguero saw an effort on goal saved for City. 

Both sides were in attack mode, but it was CSKA who struck next—Natcho again providing the assist for Doumbia to clinically finish for his second of the night.

City's defence was to blame for the goal, and in particular Gael Clichy for giving the ball away.

As the match entered the second half, Manuel Pellegrini introduced Samir Nasri, Fernandinho and Edin Dzeko to galvanise City and get them back in the game.

Fernandinho's entrance, however, had the opposite effect. The midfielder was booked just after the hour mark, then sent off for a second yellow-card offence in the 70th minute.

City were down to 10 men, chasing the game and up against a visiting CSKA outfit who had already proved they could hurt them in attack.

Things got worse when Yaya Toure followed Fernandinho down the tunnel, after losing his cool with a push and picking up his second booking in the 81st minute.

It was the culmination of another miserable European evening for City, whose coach Pellegrini will surely come in for severe criticism in the coming days and weeks.


Player ratings

Hart5.8
Zabaleta6.8
Kompany7
Demichelis7.1
Clichy5.7
Milner6.7
Toure6.4
Fernando7
Navas6.5
Aguero6.5
Jovetic6.3
Akinfeev7.7
Fernandes7.5
Berezoutski7.4
Ignashevitch6.9
Schennikov6.8
Dzagoev6.8
Natcho8.2
Wenbloom7
Musa7.8
Eremenko6.5
Doumbia8.5


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Up next 

City complete their Group E schedule with the visit of Bayern Munich, followed by a trip to face Roma on Matchday 6. The best Pellegrini's side can hope for is that they're still alive heading to Italy, in what could be a virtual knockout game for both sides.

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