Manchester City turned on the style to seal top spot in Group G at the Club World Cup with an emphatic 5-2 win over Juventus on Thursday. A positive day for City saw 2024 Ballon d’Or winner Rodri make his first start since rupturing his ACL in September and Pep Guardiola’s side, featuring several new faces, look significantly improved compared to the team which finished 13 points behind English Premier League champions Liverpool last season. Guardiola admitted as much after the match.

‘Happy to beat a top team’

“It has been a long time since we had a performance like this on and off the ball. The players were committed and we are happy to beat a top side. This is just one game, but I think the players felt again what it was like to be a good team,” said Guardiola, City took the lead in the ninth minute as winger Jeremy Doku dispatched a defence splitting pass from left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri.