Manchester City hammered Sparta Prague after scoring four second-half goals in addition to Phil Foden's textbook finish in the first period to continue an unbeaten start to the season.
Man City boss Pep Guardiola wasn't shy to show his frustration as the half-time whistle blew and, after scoring just one goal in the first half, City came out looking much more dangerous in the second period.
It took just 13 minutes after the restart for Erling Haaland to score an incredible backheel volley which was provided by Savinho, whose presence was constantly threatening to Prague's backline all night.
Haaland doubled his tally with an efficient finish into the bottom right corner to put his side three goals up just before 70 minutes.
But before his brace, John Stones put his name onto the scoresheet once again this season when his floating header left Prague keeper Peter Vindahl perplexed.
Matheus Nunes was taken down at the byline inside the box before he fired a well-taken penalty into the top left corner and, in turn, wrapped up a special - albeit expected - five-star performance from City.
In his first game back from a thigh injury, Nathan Ake thought he got his name onto the scoresheet in a chaotic Prague box but was denied by VAR after a replay found the Netherlands defender handled the ball just before his shot.
Vindahl's performance for Prague was blighted by City's dominance and despite the fact he conceded five goals, it could have been a lot worse for the visitors.
City, now find themselves third in the Champions League table below Aston Villa and Liverpool, who won 2-0 and 1-0 respectively.
Sparta Prague, however, sit 21st in the 36-team table with just one win to their name after their 3-0 victory against RB Salzburg in matchweek one.
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Guardiola's frustration fuels City's dominant win
As referee Maurizio Mariani blew his whistle for half time, Guardiola walked down and into the tunnel flinging his arms and talking to himself in a vexed manner.
There's no doubt his team talk was fuelled by frustration and passion and, although his side were winning at the break, it could have been a lot more than just a one-goal advantage.
Then, as the second half kicked off, City's dominance was something impressive.
They ended the game on 79.9% possession, and at the break had 12 shots on goal but weren't clinical enough to score.
In comparison to that, Guardiola's side had less shots in the second half (10) but increased their scoring by four goals; a switch was definitely flicked at half-time.
The Premier League champions looked a lot wider in the second half and it's ultimately where the hosts started to create the most chances.
Savinho flourished on the right and Nunes proved to be a threat after picking up two assists for Stones's header and Haaland's second goal.
Rico Lewis did well on the overlap and provided great strength centrally too, with Ake also providing width but more a defensive-minded approach.
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Foden’s performance shows he is almost back to his best
As is probably quite obvious, Foden has not been the player he was last year in this campaign so far.
And after a disappointing couple of performances for England accompanied by some below par Premier League displays, it looks like he is finally getting back to his best.
The 24-year-old played incredibly well in City’s second Champions League tie this season, which was against Slovan Bratislava, and another good performance on Wednesday showed that his sharpness is clearly on an uptrend.
For his goal, Foden received the ball on the edge of the box before he drifted in, shifted it onto his left foot and tucked it into the bottom right corner.
It was a textbook finish from the Stockport born academy product who, in place of an injured Kevin De Bruyne, is looking to add to his already well-established trophy collection.
He also had a couple of efforts whistle past the post from signature Foden range after getting the ball on the half-turn and hitting towards the far corner from the edge of the area - something that injected plenty of influence into City’s goal tally last season.
The attacking midfielder will need a very strong season to beat his previous best from the last campaign, where he won PFA Player of the Year, but regardless of a slow start, what he can do is undoubtedly limitless.
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Haaland’s acrobatics end measly drought
Just before the clock struck 10 minutes, Haaland got his first touch of the game which was a powerful header towards goal.
Fortunately for Prague, Vandahl was there to deny the Norwegian, whose effort was heading towards the bottom left corner.
Since that event, he was denied frequently by the visiting goalkeeper and even tried to score with acrobatics after an initial shot was blocked before his mesmerising, yet somewhat peculiar finish into the back of the net just before the hour.
Before the game, Haaland hadn’t scored for two games which, for some players, seems unproblematic but could be stated otherwise for the standards of the City forward.
The 24-year-old managed to score nine goals in only four games in August and September, including back-to-back hat-tricks against Ipswich Town and West Ham United.
And although he was on a personal drought, it was expected ahead of kick-off that Haaland would've had a field day at the Etihad Stadium in this tie.
Savinho, a threat all night, did incredibly well to make space on the right before floating a ball into the box to Haaland who wasn’t even looking at the ball during his volley, which epitomises his ability as one of the best strikers in the world.
That was his first of the before he earned his brace 22 minutes from time which is almost discredited due to his earlier strike.
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First-half fight soon collapsed from Sparta Prague
Prague came out dignified and did well to press the ball despite Foden’s early opener, which started City’s possession-based football which some could say was more of a training session for the hosts.
But there must be credit given to the hosts, who fended off Guardiola’s side for much of the first half.
Angelo Preciado did well throughout despite a lack of real penetration to City’s defence, but his pace showed just how quick a counterattack could be pursued.
Victor Olatunji also showed pace in certain parts, with a great ability to dribble through tight spaces.
Veljko Birmancevic broke free on a counter-attack, but a combination of press from Lewis and a brilliant low save from Stefan Ortega denied the visitors a goal.
Unlike recent performances from City where, in the absence of Rodri, they’ve seemed quite hollow, their midfield was probably their strongest department on Wednesday night.
It wasn’t until the second half where Prague were really outplayed and once that first goal after the break went in, it was due to be a very long night for Prague from there onwards.
