Teenager Rico Lewis marked his first Manchester City start with a goal that helped Pep Guardiola’s team maintain their proud home European record last night.
But it took the magical right-boot of Kevin De Bruyne, who had been brought off the bench just three minutes earlier, to set up a crucial second for summer signing Julian Alvarez.
Lewis, 17, was a 13-year-old schoolboy last time City lost a Champions League game at the Etihad, to Lyon in September 2018.
But after Rafa Mir, a flop earlier in his career in loan spells at Wolves and Nottingham Forest, had headed Sevilla in front, that 22-game unbeaten streak was in serious jeopardy.
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Still, an unbeaten run like this was worth maintaining and, thanks to the teenage right-back, City were on the way to accomplishing that after 52 minutes.
A patient, and characteristic, slick City passing move ended with Alvarez slipping the ball to the right of the Sevilla area where Lewis arrived and finished emphatically from a wide angle.
Lewis thus broke Karim Benzema’s record as the youngest player ever to score on a Champions League debut – no small feat, given the quality of those who came before him.
It heralded a run of relentless City pressure, especially when Guardiola threw on substitutes Rodri, Bernardo Silva and De Bruyne who laid on the winner after 73 minutes.
His incredibly-weighted pass was judged to perfection, from just inside the Sevilla half, and played Alvarez in beyond a trailing Sevilla defender.
The Argentina International calmly rounded the keeper before planting the ball firmly into the open net, his fifth goal for the club already.
Seven minutes from time, Alvarez was again involved as his selfless pass opened a path for Riyad Mahrez who made no mistake from just inside the area.
Still, it appeared the night might not be so comfortable when Mir struck on the half-hour, although the Sevilla winger had already announced that he was capable of causing City’s defence concerns.
Inside the opening minute, the tall target man had pounced on a mistake by Ruben Dias and streaked towards goal before shooting over wildly.
And, as the half wore on, he had forced Stefan Ortega into a good save before heading wide from a Marcus Acuna cross.
At 6’3”, Mir should have been difficult to miss but, when he finally headed Sevilla in front, the City defence managed to do precisely that.
Isco’s right-wing corner picked out Mir, eight yards from goal, with his marker Sergio Gomez nowhere close and the Sevilla man converted a brilliant headed finish into the far corner.
But Lewis’s equaliser put City well and truly in control and, moments after it, Dias’ strong header drew a brilliant one-handed save out of Yassine Bounou on his goalline, while the keeper would also do well to deny Foden in injury-time.
Player ratings
Man City (4-3-3): Ortega 6; Lewis 8 (Cancelo 84), Dias 6, Laporte 7, S Gomez 6 (Wison-Esbrand 70, 5); Foden 7, Gundogan 7 (Silva 57, 7), Palmer 6 (De Bruyne 70, 7); Mahrez 6, J Alvarez 9, Grealish 5 (Rodri 45, 7). Substitutes (not used) Ederson, Carson, Stones, Ake, Cancelo.
Sevilla (5-4-1): Bounou 7; Montiel 5, Carmona 6, Marcao 5 (Gudelj 45, 6), Rekik 5, Acuna 5 (Telles 45, 5); A Gomez 6 (Suso 45, 5), Delaney 7, Rakitic 7 (Jordan 67, 5), Isco 7 (Lamela 57, 5) Mir 7. Substitutes (not used) Dmitrovic, Flores, Dolberg, Januzaj, Navas, C Alvarez, Salas.
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