Ferran Torres showed Man City he can replace what they lost in summer transfer window – Manchester Evening News

A new threat

When Phil Foden and Ferran Torres were stripped and ready to come on midway through the second half Manchester City were still level with Porto. By the time they were introduced, they led 2-1.

That was thanks to Ilkay Gundogan (more on that below) but it was no surprise to see two of City's X-Factor players making their entrance in a game where Pep Guardiola's side had struggled to turn possession into clear chances.

It had all been a little too easy for Porto until that point, but within minutes of their arrival, Foden had fed Torres who had scored a wonderful goal. Job done.

Torres has made a good impression so far at City and the way he drove straight at Porto's defence before showing a calm head to cut inside and finish smartly suggests he is going to have plenty more good days in blue.

The Spaniard has replaced Leroy Sane in the City squad and while he is right-footed and maybe not quite as direct as Sane, Torres is still a more aggressive winger when running with the ball than Riyad Mahrez, Bernardo Silva or Foden, and maybe even Raheem Sterling, whose game has changed in recent seasons.

At times last season City looked like they were missing the directness of Sane. Now, in Torres, they have the ideal foil to an already supreme attack.

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Gundogan's moment

It's been a slow start to the season for Gundogan, thanks to the positive COVID-19 test he received on the day of City's first game of the campaign.

Since his period of self-isolation he's been working his way back to full fitness and finally made his first start against Porto. It wasn't one of his best games, although he did the job that Guardiola so often asks of him. City's midfield felt a little stale for most of the 67 minutes that Gundogan spent on the pitch.

Gundogan's job isn't particularly to create the chances for City, just to keep the ball moving, to pick the right moments to release the pass, and the ineffectual performances of those in front of him hampered in that regard.

But he still managed to leave his mark on the game, just in time. City looked like they might need a set-piece to open Porto up and Gundogan's delightful free-kick tilted the game back their way.

Defensive mistakes

City might have spent heavily on central defenders this summer but what hasn't changed is their luck when it comes to keeping them fit.

Nathan Ake was the latest to go down crocked before the visit of Porto, a niggle in his groin keeping him out of the Champions League opener.

That meant a seventh different central defensive partnership in all seven games the Blues have played so far this season, although at times this was a back three as much as a back four, with the superb Kyle Walker in such a rich vein of form he can play centre back and right back at the same time.

Nominally Ruben Dias was partnered by Eric Garcia now but again it was mistakes that cost City and meant it was an eighth successive Champions League game without a clean sheet. Dias' pass forward was sloppy and easily intercepted but the major mistakes came in allowing Luis Diaz to dribble from the left wing into a shooting position deep inside the box in the inside-right channel.

Rodri failed to do enough to halt the run as Diaz skirted across the face of the box and when he pulled the trigger Joao Cancelo managed to make himself smaller, rather than bigger when trying to make the block.

Pep Guardiola will be desperate to find some continuity in his defensive unit, while also accepting rotation is inevitable this season. A settled defence is going to be key, as City found out last season.

Inside knowledge

Guardiola revealed before this game that he'd picked the brains of new boy Dias about the threat Porto would pose to City, given he faced them regularly during his time with Benfica.

It was unlikely to be a coincidence that Guardiola picked all three of his Portuguese players to face the champions of their homeland, with Cancelo and Silva also starting.

But it's Dias who is most familiar with the current incarnation of Porto, a side who won the domestic title by five points from Dias' Benfica last season.

This victory would have been some sort of revenge for the Blues' new central defender. Not only did his beloved Benfica miss out on the title to this Porto side last season, but Porto also won all three games between the two sides. Despite those setbacks Dias clearly learned how to beat Sergio Conceicao's side, despite the defeats last term.

VAR decisions

The video assistant referee has rarely been City's friend in Europe so in a competition where the club will look for any signs that the tide is turning in their favour perhaps the decision that went for them last night is just that.

You can imagine every City fan watching at home expecting the worst when replays showed Gundogan standing on Porto goalkeeper Agustin Marchesin in the build-up to the penalty awarded for a foul on Raheem Sterling.

But the penalty decision stood - correctly - and Sergio Aguero made no mistake. Gundogan had clearly only stood on Marchesin by accident and the contact wasn't enough to warrant a foul.

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Ferran Torres showed Man City he can replace what they lost in summer transfer window - Manchester Evening News