Sevilla vs. Manchester City: Winners and Losers from Champions League Game

Manchester City qualified for the UEFA Champions League knockout stage following an impressive 3-1 victory at Sevilla on Tuesday night in Group D.

The visitors started in breathtaking form and went ahead through Raheem Sterling in the eighth minute. Fernandinho doubled City's advantage just three minutes later, but Benoit Tremoulinas pulled a goal back for Sevilla midway through the half. Wilfried Bony then curled in City's third nine minutes before the break to complete the scoring.

The win took City to the top of Group D with nine points through four matches, one point ahead of Juventus, who drew 1-1 at Borussia Monchengladbach. Sevilla remained third with three points.

Here, B/R selects winners and losers from the match.

Winner: Raheem Sterling

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Raheem Sterling bagged his first Champions League goal with a fine finish and had a hand in City's second. The 20-year-old made way for Kevin De Bruyne in the 73rd minute, but not before putting in perhaps his best performance yet for City.

The goal came in the eighth minute as City ran rampant over a stunned Sevilla side. Fernandinho rolled an incisive pass through the defense to Sterling on the left, and the latter finished calmly with the inside of his foot.

Sterling nearly recorded an assist three minutes later. After winning possession along the left touchline, the England international cut inside and passed to Bony in the middle. Bony saw his shot parried, but Fernandinho was on hand to head in the rebound.

At £49 million, per Daily Telegraph, Sterling did not come cheap. But four months after joining from Liverpool, he's starting to repay that hefty fee.

Loser: Fernando Llorente

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Sevilla briefly hauled themselves back into the match with Benoit Tremoulinas' goal in the 25th minute, but the hosts were simply outplayed by a rampant City side who started the night in irrepressible form.

Picking out individuals for criticism might be a bit harsh, but Fernando Llorente deserves a negative mention for a bad miss in the 15th minute. With Sevilla already trailing 2-0, the Spaniard had a glorious chance at point-blank range after Vicente Iborra headed the ball into his path.

But with only Joe Hart to beat, Llorente poked the ball over the bar and failed to test the goalkeeper. With Manchester City playing so well in the attacking third, Sevilla needed to be as efficient as possible with their own chances.

Winner: Fernandinho (and City's Midfield)

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As outlined in the previous slide, Fernandinho scored a goal and assisted another. In doing so, he underlined his value to City in the attacking third. But his performance was strong overall, with the Brazilian frequently winning possession before launching attacks.

As B/R's Rob Pollard noted on Twitter, City benefited from playing Fernandinho along with Yaya Toure and Fernando in midfield. "Having all 3 of Fernando, Fernandinho and Toure offers far more control in the middle and should be a permanent Champions League selection," Pollard wrote.

City manager Manuel Pellegrini agreed, telling BBC Sport: "The three midfielders—Yaya Toure, Fernandinho and Fernando—played well, pressed higher and our attack was really prepared. We played with one touch and moved into space, that was the reason we created so many chances."

When those three are on top of their game, City are exceptionally tough to stop. City's breathtaking first half proved it.

Loser: Unai Emery

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Unai Emery has earned his reputation as a good manager. The Spaniard has led Sevilla to back-to-back Europa League titles and back into the Champions League group stage this season for the first time since 2009-10.

Tuesday's loss doesn't make him a bad manager, but Emery will be concerned with his side's recent form. The Andalusians have now lost three of four and face a nearly impossible task to qualify for the knockout stage.

Their Champions League campaign started so well with a 3-0 victory over Borussia Monchengladbach, but Sevilla have lost all three European matches since then. But while they could count themselves unlucky in defeat last time against City, this loss was nothing of the sort. City were better, and Sevilla must improve if they are to have a chance at qualification.

This was hardly the way Emery would have preferred to mark his 44th birthday.

Winners: Jesus Navas and Wilfried Bony

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Jesus Navas played well for City on the right, assisting a goal on his return to the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan. His pinpoint pass for Wilfried Bony in the 36th minute was perfect, and Bony took full advantage with a gorgeous finish.

Navas played for Sevilla for more than a decade, so Tuesday's victory was probably bittersweet for him. But he'll be happy with his individual contribution.

Bony, for his part, deserves credit for expertly stroking the ball into the bottom corner. In the absence of the injured Sergio Aguero, Bony is proving an able deputy.

That's not to say Bony could ever replace Aguero. The Argentine is world class and will be first choice the moment he returns. But Bony and his employers must be pleased with how he's filling Aguero's spot in the lineup.

Winners: Manuel Pellegrini and Manchester City

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Tuesday's win meant Manchester City were one of the first two teams—along with Real Madrid—to qualify for the knockout stage. They did so with two games remaining.

That is quite an achievement in a tough Group D, and it's extra sweet for City following the difficulties they've faced to qualify from their groups in recent seasons.

"It is very important to qualify for the next stage," Pellegrini said, per BBC Sport. "Now we will try to qualify in first position. I'm happy with the way we played; we scored three goals, missed three of four clear chances to score, and we defended well."

One can hardly fault Pellegrini for feeling so positive. City played brilliantly at the start, hitting Sevilla with pace, power and desire. The visitors were unstoppable in the first 11 minutes and could have had more than the two great goals they scored.

Sevilla did hit back with a goal of their own, but City responded well, winning the ball back consistently to start devastating breaks.

Admittedly, this wasn't Real Madrid or Barcelona or Bayern Munich. But it's hard not to have the feeling that this version of Manchester City is better equipped than other recent models to make a deep run in the Champions League. 

City are now unbeaten in eight games in all competitions, and optimism is abundant around the Etihad Stadium.