Manchester City 3 Aris Salonika 0:SUDDENLY IT seems like a trick of the imagination that Roberto Mancini has been accused this season of undue conservatism. Edin Dzeko, Mario Balotelli, David Silva and Carlos Tevez were all shoehorned into Manchester City's attack for the first time and, after a successful night of experimentation, Mancini's men moved into the last 16 with something to spare.
They did not quite manage to silence the unrelenting Aris support, but they were superior in every other department, and can look forward to a tie against Dynamo Kiev courtesy of two early Dzeko goals and a deflected Yaya Toure strike late on.
The win was not totally without complications, Vincent Kompany being forced off after damaging his groin in the first half. Kompany joins an injury list already featuring Adam Johnson, James Milner, Nigel de Jong and Micah Richards. Yet this was the only downside of an evening in which Mancini took the handbrake off.
For Dzeko, in particular, this was a night of huge satisfaction. These were not his first goals for his new club but it was the first time he bristled with confidence.
His finishing was clinical, the relationship with Tevez appears to be blossoming, and the Bosnian is now displaying the quality that persuaded City to snap him up last month. When he and Tevez click properly it promises to be a formidable forward line.
Aris were poor opponents, devoid of attacking ideas, and there were times when the gap between the sides felt more like a chasm.
City played with width, penetration and their attacking quartet had an elusive quality, Dzeko remaining the focal point but Tevez, Balotelli and Silva interchanging positions and driving forward from all angles.
In terms of Greeks bearing gifts, the tone was set in the seventh minute when the centre-half Nikolaos Lazaridis made a hash at clearing Aleksandar Kolarov’s long ball and suddenly Dzeko was clear. His first touch was a little loose but, steadying himself, the second was a low, right-foot shot just inside the far post.
Within five minutes City struck again. Silva playing a ball infield to Tevez and the Argentine picking out Dzeko running through the inside right channel. Dzeko worked the ball on to his left foot and sent a firm and precise left-foot shot into the same corner of the goal. Right foot, left foot, it was a demonstration of power and accuracy.
City retained an air of complete superiority and Dzeko could have completed a first-half hat-trick only to be denied by goalkeeper Michail Sifakis.
The second half was not so impressive. City were comfortable and it was probably only to be expected that they would ease off, with three more home games to come in the next nine days.
Nonetheless Balotelli had struck a post before Toure tried his luck with a long-range effort that took a decisive touch off Ricardo Faty to find the bottom corner.
MANCHESTER CITY: Hart, Boateng, Kompany (Zabaleta 35), Lescott, Kolarov, Silva (Wright-Phillips 80), Toure Yaya, Barry, Tevez (Vieira 79), Dzeko, Balotelli. Subs not used: Taylor, Jo, Toure, Wabara. Booked: Kolarov.
ARIS SALONIKA: Sifakis, Vangeli, Guiaro, Lazaridis, Michel, Prittas, Faty, Neto (Kaznaferis 79), Toja, Bobadilla (Koke 61), Sakata (Mendrinos 46). Subs not used: Juanma, Oriol, Cesarec. Booked: Vangeli, Neto, Prittas.
Referee: Pavel Kralovec (Czech Republic).
