I saw Man City man show hidden leadership quality and prove Pep Guardiola's point in ten minutes

Manchester City blew Sparta Prague away in the Champions League on Wednesday despite their growing injury list.

Phil Foden scored early on his recall to the side, while Erling Haaland got back on the scoresheet with a spectacular overhead backheel in the second half to put City in control.

Haaland got his second after John Stones headed home - both assisted by Matheus Nunes - and Nunes scored from the spot late on. The win puts City on seven points from three games in the Champions League.

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These are the moments you might have missed from City's latest Champions League win:

City fans sum up Haaland magic

Haaland had been trying all night to get on the scoresheet, having endured six frustrating games where he only had two goals, with none in three of his previous four for City. It wasn't for the lack of effort - more that opposition sides had successfully put enough bodies around him to stop him getting on the end of any crosses. He had just 12 touches against Wolves.

There were signs of a player desperate to get back scoring against Sparta, including some speculative efforts that he wouldn't usually attempt in the first half. After nine goals in his first four games of the season, he had two in the next six-and-a-half. Not a problem, but a decline in his high standards.

But this is Erling Haaland and there is always a method to the madness. Another speculative effort, sticking out a leg to a cross that was flying away behind him, and he produced a spectacular overhead-scorpion-backheel kick to end the 'drought'. Another clinical one-on-one effort soon followed.

When the overhead effort went in, Haaland got up and smirked as he coolly walked away. As the goal was replayed on the big screens, City fans produced an audible gasp and broke into a second round of applause for the audacious effort to sum up the brilliant goal.

Foden's captain moment

Pep Guardiola challenged Foden to rediscover his form from last season in the build-up to this game, having dropped him to the bench at the weekend following two starts. Indeed, this start against Sparta Prague was only his fourth of the season - the others coming against Watford, Fulham and Slovan Bratislava.

"He will be back soon, he feels much better," Guardiola said. “[With] Phil you realise immediately when he is happy and fit and mentally in the right moment, you realise immediately he’s getting better and better.”

'Immediately' was the appropriate word against Sparta, Foden dancing past three and firing low into the far corner just three minutes in, looking like the Player of the Year from last season. He was unlucky with two or three other fierce efforts from range that again made him look like a player full of confidence.

There was also a moment ten minutes in when Rico Lewis had controlled a difficult long ball before playing out of trouble with the help of a few teammates. Foden made a point of jogging back to applaud the defence in the absence of another leader from midfield to do the same.

One good performance against Czech opposition doesn't mean he's fully 'back' - but the signs are there that he has found the happiness and confidence Guardiola suggested he might have been lacking. And he even took up some leadership responsibilities for his most pleasing performance of a stuttering season so far.

Pep's half-time fury

Guardiola walked into the Etihad wearing a flowing grey trenchcoat, opting for something a little more fashionable rather than his usual cardigan at this time of year. He was soon punching the air as Foden opened the scoring early on, and it looked like City would control the game from that point.

But Sparta Prague weren't here to sit back and let City boost their goal difference. Slowly they took the game to the hosts and had chances of their own, much to the frustration of Guardiola on the sidelines.

By half-time, Guardiola had worked himself up to such a point that he threw his hands around in frustration at the sound of the whistle, before stomping down the tunnel. The subsequent team talk will have been one that made perfectly clear what needed to improve.

He replaced anger with encouragement as the players emerged for the second half, waiting for Haaland outside the dressing room for a hug. Haaland's spectacular second had Guardiola jumping around in delight, and when the striker made it four Guardiola was buzzing around his technical area.

Injury crisis exposed on teamsheet

With Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku joining Kevin De Bruyne and Kyle Walker on the sidelines, Guardiola said the pair will be out for at least seven to ten days. Add those players to long-term absentees Rodri and Oscar Bobb, and City suddenly have six players out who could conceivably have started against Sparta Prague.

But Guardiola isn't one to make excuses and has built a squad of versatile players able to cope with key players missing out. But the starting XI against Sparta was strong enough - Haaland, Foden and Bernardo Silva were all in the side - and it was a line-up that supported the idea that City have good depth.

The bench shattered that stereotype, however, with only seven players named from a possible 12, including two goalkeepers. Nico O'Reilly was called up from the academy, but the other five youngsters who trained on Tuesday were overlooked.

And when James McAtee was selected to support the starters during the warm-ups, it left just four outfield players warming up - Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol, Mateo Kovacic and O'Reilly. The starting line-up would have to do the job themselves.