Manchester City began their Champions League campaign with a dominant 2-0 win over 10-man Napoli at the Etihad, as Erling Haaland hit a record-breaking milestone and Jeremy Doku produced a moment of brilliance to seal the points.
The match was only 21 minutes old when Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo was dismissed after a VAR intervention.
Having allowed Haaland to escape into space, the Italian full-back lunged in clumsily just outside the box, catching the Norwegian striker.
Initially waved on by the referee, the incident was reviewed on the pitchside monitor, and Di Lorenzo was shown a straight red card.
From that moment, it was always going to be an uphill battle for Antonio Conte’s side.
Napoli had come to Manchester with a clear defensive game plan, looking to frustrate City and limit space between the lines. In the early exchanges, Gianluigi Donnarumma’s deputy, Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, produced a fine save to deny Tijjani Reijnders’ long-range strike, while Haaland headed narrowly over as the hosts grew into the contest.
At the other end, Napoli’s best chance came from a set-piece, but Beukema’s header was beaten away by City’s new goalkeeper, himself facing the club his family supports.
After Di Lorenzo’s dismissal, City began to dominate, recording 12 shots before half-time. Phil Foden, lively throughout, came close with a clever lofted pass to Reijnders, whose header drifted just over.
Josko Gvardiol twice threatened with headers, only to be denied by the excellent Milinkovic-Savic, who also thwarted O’Reilly and Rodri with sharp reflex saves.
Napoli barely made it out of their own half, managing just 26% possession and a solitary shot before the interval.
Despite City’s relentless pressure, the scoreline remained 0-0 at the break, with Guardiola’s side frustrated but patient, knowing the breakthrough was likely to come.
Second-half breakthrough
That breakthrough arrived in the 56th minute, and fittingly it was Haaland who delivered it. Meeting Foden’s deft chipped pass inside the box, the striker looped a header over Milinkovic-Savic and into the far corner to bring up his 50th Champions League goal.
Remarkably, the Norwegian reached the half-century in just his 49th appearance – the fastest player in the competition’s history to do so.
Napoli, already penned back, now had to chase shadows. City’s slick passing wore them down, and with Doku in irresistible form on the left flank, a second goal felt inevitable.
It duly arrived in the 65th minute. Receiving the ball from Reijnders outside the area, the Belgian winger weaved his way past three Napoli defenders before calmly slotting the ball under the advancing goalkeeper. It was a stunning solo effort, underlining why Guardiola sees him as one of City’s most dangerous attacking outlets this season.
From there, the match settled into a controlled exercise in possession. City knocked the ball around confidently, conserving energy ahead of their weekend clash with Arsenal.
Substitutions followed, with Haaland, Rodri, Gvardiol and Doku all making way after standout contributions.
Napoli, meanwhile, turned to their bench in search of fresh legs, but with Rasmus Hojlund again failing to register a single shot in over 300 minutes of action against City, their attack remained blunt.
Conte’s side will now reflect on a miserable record: 13 trips to England in European competition without a single victory.
Reduced to 10 men so early, they never looked like changing that statistic. For Guardiola, however, the win will be a huge confidence boost.
It levels his head-to-head record with Conte at four victories apiece, and it sends City into the next round of fixtures brimming with confidence.
