Manuel Pellegrini said Manchester City beating Borussia
Monchengladbach in the Champions League is one of the club's best nights
Manuel Pellegrini hailed the
impact of match-winner Raheem Sterling after his two late goals earned
Manchester City a 4-2 victory at home to Borussia Monchengladbach in the
Champions League on Tuesday.
City's dramatic
victory, coupled with Juventus' 1-0 loss at Sevilla, ensured
Pellegrini's side finished top of Group D, but they trailed 2-1 at the
Etihad Stadium with 11 minutes to go.
Sterling had
been denied on multiple occasions by Gladbach goalkeeper Yann Sommer
but the attacker, celebrating his 21st birthday, struck twice within
three minutes to turn the game around.
"It's his birthday and the minimum I told him he had to do was score two goals - I'm not joking!" Pellegrini said.
Sterling
tucked in David Silva's pass before curling a superb effort beyond
Sommer to put City in front, with Wilfried Bony adding a late fourth to
seal the victory.
Silva had put City in front after just 15 minutes but Gladbach hit back through Julian Korb and Raffael to lead at half-time.
"What was most important was to qualify. After that it was important to finish top of the group," said Pellegrini.
"It's better not to play against the likes of Bayern Munich and Barcelona."
Pellegrini
added that it was one of the best European nights Manchester City have
had, noting: "We played very well in Sevilla also."
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