Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne moments show imperfect Man City are more dangerous in Champions League

Manchester City strolled to a 5-0 win against Sporting CP in the Champions League on Tuesday but, while the scoreline might not suggest it, the Blues put in a performance not entirely typical of their approach this season.

Since a patchy start to the campaign gave way to a 15-game unbeaten run in the Premier League, Pep Guardiola's side have become synonymous with patient, controlled football, where the main aims are to limit the amount of possession and counter-attacking opportunities the opponent has and to create scoring chances by strategically piling bodies forward.

City were four goals up by half-time in Lisbon, but they did not reach that position via the usual means. Guardiola's side were anything but controlled, with Sporting able to break forward at will - even when City were 3-0 ahead.

"Today some players underperformed and lost some easy balls," Pep said after the match. "There’s one rule in football, when you have the ball, don’t lose it.

"Our build-up on the left side... we didn't do it well. We allowed them to make transitions, they are so dangerous. Just look at the first five or six minutes before the goals."

In his post-match press conference, Guardiola singled out Joao Cancelo as one individual who misplaced a few passes, a rare off day for a player who has played a crucial role in City's success so far this term.

Rodri was another guilty of sloppiness on the ball, his suicidal cross-field pass in the opening minutes gifting Sporting the ball in the centre of the pitch and creating a dangerous counter-attack.

It was reminiscent of a misjudged pass the Spain international played in the dying minutes of the round-of-16 game against Borussia Monchengladbach last season that could have offered the Germans