Joe Hart Produces Another Memorable Display for Man City in Win vs. Gladbach

There was a time early in Manuel Pellegrini’s reign as Manchester City boss when Joe Hart’s future was being questioned.

At the start of the 2013/14 season, the England goalkeeper was playing well below his best, making costly errors on a regular basis and undermining City’s chances of silverware.

He was dropped for six weeks after City’s defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in October 2013 and was left despondent, confined to the sidelines for the first time in his career. It has turned out to be a masterstroke from Pellegrini, with Hart now right back to his best, performing consistently and brilliantly for club and country.

The latest instalment of Hart’s renaissance came on Tuesday evening, as City kick-started their Champions League campaign with a 2-1 win over Borussia Monchengladbach. It was a far from straightforward evening for the Blues, who came from a goal down, and once again they have Hart to thank for the three points after a quite brilliant display.

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Yesssssssssss! #bmgvcity #mcfc pic.twitter.com/m9L539WA8t

— Manchester City FC (@MCFC) September 30, 2015"

Like at White Hart Lane on Saturday, where City suffered the biggest loss since the club’s takeover in 2008, their defensive shape was often dreadful, with Gladbach able to cut through them too often and too easily.

But when they did, they faced a goalkeeper on a mission to keep his side in the game at all costs.

Martin Meissner/Associated Press

Hart’s first magic moment came when he saved brilliantly from a Raffael penalty. The resulting corner ended with Hart claiming the ball and playing a superb half-volley kick-out to put Sergio Aguero through on goal. The Argentinian striker, whose form this season has been somewhat concerning, shot just wide of the upright, but Hart’s ingenuity and ability in that two-minute period of the match was breathtaking.

He then smothered Raffael’s attempt when clean through on goal with just over 10 minutes of the first half remaining, before saving from close range from Patrick Herrmann just before interval.

Hart could do nothing about Gladbach’s opener as Lars Stindl placed the ball low to his left after 54 minutes, but his inspired display continued thereafter. It was a performance that further underlined his importance to the side, particularly as it came on the back of Saturday’s defeat to Tottenham, which Hart missed with a back complaint.

Indeed, some of Hart’s finest performances for City have come in the Champions League. His one-man blockade, which saw City escape with a draw against Borussia Dortmund back in 2012 despite the German side completely outplaying them, was seen by many as his career-high at the time. 

And in last season’s last-16 game with Barcelona, he produced an arguably even more inspired performance. His personal duel with Lionel Messi was memorable, as Hart made a series of awe-inspiring saves.

His display against Gladbach may not have scaled those heights, but he was the difference between City winning the game or dropping points and making their progression to the last 16 extremely problematic. Their win over Gladbach, secured after Nicolas Otamendi rammed home an equaliser after 65 minutes and Aguero bagged an 89th-minute penalty, gives the Group D table a much healthier look from a City perspective.

PATRIK STOLLARZ/Getty Images

Afterwards, according to BBC Sport, Hart admitted City weren't at their best, but said Aguero's penalty was never in doubt: "We were disjointed as we had been in the last few games, but we deserved to win. We had some really good chances. It may have come late but Sergio Aguero is a cool guy and he will score."

Despite the defensive problems, City produced some excellent moments going forward and could have won more comfortably had their final ball been better. Their chance-conversion rate simply isn’t good enough right now given their ambitions, and Pellegrini will be desperately hoping Aguero can find his best form again soon.

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It was vital we won today. It wasn't easy but we did it and took three important points. C'mon, City!

— Sergio Kun Aguero (@aguerosergiokun) September 30, 2015"

Having lost their opening Group D match at home to Juventus, a win inside Borussia-Park was vital. City rode their luck at times, but they demonstrated resolve and a desire to come from behind to win the game and now look well-placed to qualify of they can get two positive results from their upcoming double-header with Sevilla.

Boris Streubel/Getty Images

Pellegrini will be keen to get his captain, Vincent Kompany, back into contention soon, though.

The Belgian had a poor season by his standards in 2014/15, but his start to this campaign had been excellent before yet another calf injury curtailed his progress.

In his absence, City haven’t looked anywhere near as assured. He left the field during the game against Juventus, which came on the back of five straight Premier League wins without a goal, with the score locked at 1-1. Since then, City have lost three in five games, conceding nine goals in the process.

Pellegrini said after the game he feels the international break is coming at a good time for his injury-ravaged squad. "We need the international break because we have eight injured players and we don't have many options. 

"It is important for the players to beat Newcastle on Saturday and then after that we have 15 days."

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MOTM Joe Hart spoke to CityTV following #MCFC's dramatic win in Germany. Watch: http://t.co/q7pRFjyqZR #bmgvcity pic.twitter.com/QsKUzNscFk

— Manchester City FC (@MCFC) September 30, 2015"

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2015/16 season. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @RobPollard_.