Man City vs Copenhagen highlights and reaction as Haaland, Akanji and Alvarez put Blues into Champions League quarter-finals

FULL TIME - City reach Champions League quarter finals

That's that, and the second half was a complete non-event. If Guardiol could have scripted the game to play out before the Liverpool game, he probably wouldn't have dared to be as greedy as the game he saw.

The tie was won after eight minutes, and the door bolted shut for Copenhagen just before half time. Resting Rodri and Ruben Dias in the second half added to the positives to take from the night.

For player ratings, match report and post-match reaction, stick around on the Manchester Evening News tonight and tomorrow.

87' - Cornelius booked for Copenhagen

Andreas Cornelius is booked for catching Akanji late in the box as he went for a shot. The defender is okay to continue.

Jacob Wright will come on for the closing stages and receives some detailed instructions from Guardiola before he eventually replaces Erling Haaland.

Just the one for the striker tonight.

73' - Hamilton comes on

Matheus Nunes looks to have dislocated his finger as he fell badly and is in some pain. It's taped back up, but he doesn't need to continue.

Micah Hamilton replaces him and gets a big cheer. It's his third appearance for the senior team.

67' - Stones comes on

John Stones may not have expected to play after being named on the bench and then seeing City take control, but he's been summoned here. He receives plenty of instructions from Guardiola as they wait for the ball to go out.

He replaces Ruben Dias, who can put his feet up for Sunday, and is also the only player on a booking who is at risk of missing the quarter-final first leg. Dias hands the armband to Stones, with all five elected captains now off the pitch.

Ederson makes a good reaction stop to keep the four goal advantage.

59' - City doing what they need to do

Roony Bardghji and and Magnus Mattsson are on for the visitors. Elias Achouri and Victor Froholdt are off.

City are probing for another, with Haaland and Alvarez both linking well but not yet resulting in a shot. Still, there's no need to extend much energy with the tie won and minutes ticking away. Copenhagen would need four goals in half an hour to send the contest to extra time.

Chief City writer Simon Bajkowski at the Etihad:

The next question has to be how long Haaland stays out there. He will want more goals but City aren’t really producing anything and don’t look like they are troubling the Copenhagen defence. While that is the case, is it worth Haaland staying out? The game is understandably flat ahead of the final half-hour with little to shout about for either team.

45' - Back underway

City sent Sergio Gomez and Mahamadou Susoho out to warm up straight away at half-time, but only Gomez is coming on. He replaces Rodri, who is being wrapped up for Liverpool.

Gomez is on the left-wing, with Bobb inside where Kovacic was, and Kovacic dropping into the Rodri role.

There's a bit of confusion at the back for City, but Copenhagen can't capitalise.

Susoho, Micah Hamilton and Jacob Wright are all warming up, along with John Stones.

HALF TIME - City in control at the break

If City had realistically won the tie in Copenhagen with Phil Foden's late third, two goals in eight minutes at the Etihad allowed the Blues to prepare for the quarter-finals with 82 minutes to spare.

Manu Akanji turned in Julian Alvarez's corner, before Rodri hit the bar and Alvarez returned the ball from wide which went straight through the hands of Kamil Grabara. A lovely move saw Mohamed Elyounoussi pull one back for Copenagen, but Haaland's goal in injury time means City lead -2 on aggregate.

It would take an almighty collapse from here not to qualify.

Simon Bajkowski's half-time ratings:

• Ederson 6
• Lewis 6
• Akanji 6
• Dias 6
• Gvardiol 7
• Rodri 7
• Kovacic 7
• Bobb 7
• Nunes 6
• Alvarez 7
• Haaland 7

45+3' - Haaland scores!

Book your plane to [insert quarter-final opponent here].

Rodri with another assist, his searching ball finding Erling Haaland on the edge of the area. He controls, takes on McKenna, and wrongfoots Grabara.

6-2 on aggregate.

43' - City cruising to the break

City have cruised through this half after the early goals but there is a fine line between cruising and sleepwalking, and the latter can quickly get you into trouble.

FC Copenhagen have already overachieved by scoring their first ever away goal in the knockout stages but they will keep pushing and City need to be more aggressive if they are to finish off this tie for good.

34' - Copenhagen responding well

Copenhagen are buoyed on the pitch and in the away end - their fans are all bouncing together and delighted they are within three goals of City. On the pitch they're searching for an equaliser, with a couple of blocked shots to wake City up.

In response, City have slowed things down and are just keeping the ball to restore some control. Erling Haaland plays in Julian Alvarez but the defence get back.

Chief City writer Simon Bajkowski at the Etihad:

Oscar Bobb is pulling out every trick in his locker and Copenhagen aren’t doing a great job of dealing with him. Bobb has such confidence for a young player in this team and not only is he constantly showing for the ball he is doing plenty with it. Two big Norwegian talents on City’s books.

28' - Copenhagen pull one back

Lovely, lovely goal.

Copenhagen pull City apart through the middle with a fine move. Mohamed Elyounoussi advances, plays a one-two with Jelert, who backheels it back for Elyounoussi to stroke home.

5-2 on aggregate.

20' - Two goals from set pieces

Carlos Vicens will be happy sitting on the City bench. Both of those goals have come from corners, which are his remit on the coaching field. It really has been far too easy for City, and the Copenhagen players are arguing with themselves about how their backline should be set up. This could get ugly very quickly for them if they’re not careful.

8' - Alvarez scores!

Alvarez and Lewis are providing the width in the early stages to allow Nunes and Bobb to play inside the channels. That feels like a new role for all four players and Bobb skips past two to unleash a shot in search of a second - but it's blocked.

From the corner, Rodri hits the bar. And when it comes out... Julian Alvarez swings one in that goes straight through the hands of Kamil Grabara. Groans around the stadium as it's replayed on the big screen.

5-1 on aggregate.

4' - Akanji scores!

Simple as you like and City have a three goal lead in the tie.

A corner comes in, over the head of Rodri, and Akanji can steer a volley into the top of the net.

How are we all getting to Anfield on Sunday, then?

Chief City writer Simon Bajkowski at the Etihad:

That’s Akanji’s fourth goal of the season, moving him level with Jeremy Doku and own goals. It certainly makes the night feel a little more routine. FC Copenhagen will have taken heart from a weakened team from City but scoring so early just reinforces City’s dominance

1' - Kick off - Alvarez in new position

"There was the usual mix of boos and chants of City while the UEFA anthem is played out. City may have won this competition but many supporters have still not forgiven UEFA for the treatment towards the club and its players over the last 15 years. There was no booing of the anthem on the night of the final, although that anthem was slightly different anyway. It would certainly be interesting to hear what the response was if City reached another final, but winning the competition has not made many love UEFA any more."

Teams are out

We've been treated to another midweek lightshow, as a Champions League trophy is beamed onto the Etihad pitch and highlights from City's European season so far are played on the screens.

As the teams come out, every Copenhagen fan holds a scarf aloft and Hey Jude plays for the home fans. Belatedly, the City XI arrive in the tunnel and we're out on the pitch.

Kick off is imminent.

Chairman watches the warm-ups

Copenhagen fans are making a big noise to support their players in the warm-ups, while City's starters are put through their paces. There's a very strong group of City subs, including Kevin De Bruyne, John Stones, Kyle Walker and Nathan Ake - all doing a rondo that is lacking in any intensity.

Away from that, Phil Foden and Jacob Wright are firing long balls at each other.

And a short distance up from the subs is chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, who has made a rare trip down to the pitch to show Andriy Shevchenko around the best Tunnel Club seats. They take a few minutes to oversee proceedings before making their way back into the hospitality area.

Maybe that intensity may have stepped up if they'd seen the boss casting an eye over them a few metres away!

Guardiola's Copenhagen warning

Guardiola warns in his programme that 'we saw in Denmark just how good Copenhagen are.'

He adds that "they are so dangerous - they showed that in the group stage by beating Manchester United and drawing with Bayern Munich - and you don't qualify for the last-16 of this competition if you are not an exceptional side."

He goes on to praise the mentality of his squad after falling behind against United, and thanks the fans for their role in another derby win. There is no mention of the aggregate score or the quarter-finals. Only City's record of reaching the last-16 for 11 years in a row.

It seems the manager is taking nothing for granted.

Dias on a tightrope

City's captain for tonight is Ruben Dias with Kyle Walker and Kevin De Bruyne rested.

That in itself isn't unusual. John Stones is given a night off ahead of Dias, who can usually play every few days.

But Dias is the only player in the squad who would miss the quarter-final first leg if booked tonight, having already accumulated two yellows in the competition so far this season. He will have to be careful to avoid going in the referee's book, as he would be a big miss for a potential quarter final.

Haaland could reach another landmark tonight

Erling Haaland will be looking to make Copenhagen the 15th team he has scored against this season. He hasn't had the same impact as he did last year, but that was straospheric levels and this year he is still well above the norm.

Having bagged two against this team last year, it is not inconceivable that Haaland could reach 30 goals for the season tonight.

City can lose this match and still go through but staying unbeaten will tick their run onto 20, which is a nice round figure to take to Anfield on Sunday. It felt like a long way back in December when they lost at Villa having been thoroughly second best, but yet again the response has been terrific.

City team confirmed

There are starts for Lewis, Gvardiol, Kovacic, Nunes and Bobb against Copenhagen as Guardiola goes for a rotated line up.

Chief City writer Simon Bajkowski at the Etihad:

Guardiola insisted that City would play a strong team tonight, and it is, but it is also one that sees several key figures rested. Walker, Stones, Ake, De Bruyne, Silva, and Foden are all on the bench and you would expect all six to start at Anfield.

Copenhagen fans in the stands already

Copenhagen are already coming into the stands, enjoying asking if the Etihad is a library.

It will get much fuller and much noisier but expect the notorious Section 12 crowd to make themselves heard through the night. If City play like they did in the away leg though, there won’t be much for them to make noise about.

How much will Liverpool affect team selection?

Pep Guardiola - and Erling Haaland - both insisted that there has been no thought given to Sunday's huge, title-defining clash at Liverpool. Of course they will say that, they have to. There is a game to win tonight and a Champions League quarter-final place to lock in.

But Haaland also reminded reporters that Liverpool is of course a huge game. Just like last week at Luton, Guardiola can make changes and still field a side strong enough to win on the night. City's two-goal lead gives some sort of leeway when it comes to resting a couple of certain starters at Anfield.

Rodri may start after getting a rest at Luton, but could the likes of Rico Lewis, Mateus Nunes and Manu Akanji, Mateo Kovacic earn recalls. Julian Alvarez has found himself on the bench of late, but came on in the derby and helped turn one point into three. A start would be deserved for the striker.

90 minutes away from the big names

Much was made in some quarters about how the Champions League last-16 wasn't so appealing, but as soon as you see the first two qualifiers for the quarter-finals being Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain everything starts to feel very big and exciting again. A reminder for City as they look to progress that there are big teams waiting for them in the draw.

If City progress - and they should - the quarter-final draw will take place on Friday 15 March at 11am UK time, after next week's remaining last-16 ties are concluded. The draw will also contain the semi-final draw, offering City a prospective pathway to the final at Wembley.

The quarter final draw currently looks like:

• Bayern Munich
• Paris Saint-Germain.
• Real Madrid or RB Leipzig (Real Madrid lead 1-0)
• City or Copenhagen (City lead 3-1)
• Arsenal or Porto (Porto lead 1-0)
• Barcelona or Napoli (aggregate score is 1-1)
• Inter or Atletico Madrid (Inter lead 1-0)
• PSV or Dortmund (aggregate score is 1-1)

Early City team news

We're not expecting Jack Grealish back tonight, with Jeremy Doku joining him on the injury list as he missed training yesterday.

Josko Gvardiol returned from injury for the Manchester derby, and Phil Foden brushed off any concerns of a dead leg from the United win by reporting for training as expected yesterday.

With City leading by two goals in this tie before we even kick off, could Guardiola rotate some of his players tonight ahed of the weekend trip to Liverpool?

Chief City writer Simon Bajkowski, at the Etihad:

Jeremy Doku missed training yesterday after some discomfort so it would be a surprise if he was avilable tonight. With Jack Grealish also missing through injury, that narrows Guardiola's options of the left wing. Phil Foden or Bernardo Silva could play there, but it may be a night for Oscar Bobb to try and push himself further into the manager's plans as a genuine option.

Champions League football is back at the Etihad

City have not played a European home fixture since late November but they will hope to have at least two more after tonight as they seek to defend their title.

The Blues are strong favourites to complete the job against FC Copenhagen after securing a 3-1 win in the first leg in Denmark two weeks ago. Phil Foden was on target that night and scored twice in the weekend Manchester derby win to continue his superb run of form.

Tonight's tie is an 8pm kick off and City will hope to have wrapped up a place in the last eight come full time.