Raheem Sterling scored an 11-minute hat-trick and had a hand in all five goals as Manchester City came from behind to thump Italian side Atalanta 5-1 in their Champions League Group C encounter on Tuesday.
Forward Sergio Aguero also scored two in the first half at the City of Manchester Stadium, but England winger Sterling was the star of the show as the home side made it three wins from three to open up a five-point lead at the midway point of the pool.
Atalanta have now lost all three of their group matches in their debut season in the Champions League, but started brightly and had the lead via a Ruslan Malinovsky penalty.
City were ruthless in their response though and drove forward. They finished the game with 10 men after teenager Phil Foden received a second yellow card on 83 minutes.
Atalanta showed admirable ambition in the opening stages and were rewarded on 28 minutes. Malinovsky converted the penalty after Fernandinho had brought down Josip Ilicic just inside the box.
If City were rattled by going behind, they did not show it and instead lifted the tempo of their play.
They were level six minutes later when Sterling’s magnificent cross was turned into the net from close-range by Aguero.
Sterling won a penalty when his surging run was illegally stopped by defender Andrea Masiello for the second clear spot-kick of the night.
Aguero drilled the ball low into the left-hand corner for the lead, but the half ended on a sour note when City’s makeshift centre-back Rodri limped off with a hamstring problem to be replaced by John Stones, himself only just back from a thigh problem.
Sterling got the goal his performance richly deserved on 58 minutes as Kevin De Bruyne picked out Foden in the box and the latter’s lay-off was easy for the winger to finish.
Five minutes later and he had another. Played into space on the left, he turned inside the covering defender and provided an emphatic finish, before his hat-trick was complete when he poked home a Riyad Mahrez cross from close-range.
Sterling should have had a fourth too when Foden’s excellent pass sent him clear on goal, but he put the ball the wrong side of the post.
