Joy for Rico Lewis as Manchester City recover to see off Sevilla | Champions

Rico Lewis should long remember a first ever Manchester City start because the boy from Bury fired in a sparkling equaliser on his full debut to become the second-youngest Englishman at 17 years old and 346 days to score in the Champions League.

Lewis, on the books at the club since he was eight, followed this with a hand-over-mouth celebration that suggested shock at registering. The goal teemed with intent, rifled in from close range, and was precisely what City needed on an evening when they struggled to burn along on all cylinders as they often do.

Pep Guardiola was delighted. “What a goal,” said City’s manager. “He’s a fantastic player, so intelligent. He understands everything. He made a fantastic goal and played really well. We don’t give presents here, he had to earn it. We felt he had something special. He has the idea to be better, wants to improve, he always open to new skills, is only 17 but he’s shown he can be with us. It depends on him now.”

Lewis’s intervention came on 52 minutes. Jude Bellingham is the only Englishman to score in this competition at a younger age. City’s second arrived 17 from the end when the excellent Julián Álvarez, deputising for the injured Erling Haaland, ran onto Kevin De Bruyne’s superb through ball and finished before, a little later, the Argentinian teed up Riyad Mahrez for the third.

City had won Group G anyway but this result further casts them as who to avoid in Monday’s last-16 draw. They can be matched with Paris Saint-Germain, Milan and Internazionale, Eintracht Frankfurt, Club Brugge and Leipzig. Asked if he cared who City face, the manager smiled. “We will be there. That is all that matters,” said Guardiola.

Lewis, at right-back, had dropped smoothly into the Guardiola way, tucking inside to help flood the midfield against opponents third-bottom in La Liga who had enjoyed victory three times all term. Guardiola, too, was instantly into his familiar in-game, Mr Intense routine from his near-permanent technical area vantage point, barking orders to Sergio Gómez regarding how the left-back should, too, rotate in-field.

Álvarez was peripheral at this juncture – a solitary flick his sole act and when Jorge Sampaoli’s men broke quickly there was a warning: suddenly Rafa Mir was sliding a cross-shot at Stefan Ortega from the right that required the German’s right hand to palm out. Mir then spurned a near-range header in what was a similar profligate manner to how Lewis had earlier sprayed wide: each should have tested the opposing keeper.

Ilkay Gündogan’s radar was calibrated better when shooting following a one-two with Phil Foden but a deflection pinged the ball out for a corner from which Mahrez should have tested the shaky Yassine Bounou rather than volleying high. These misses were soon dearly rued as City conceded amateurishly: Isco floated in a corner from the right and Gómez…