Manchester City ended their Champions League group campaign by being held to a 1-1 draw by Celtic at the Etihad Stadium this evening.
Both sides knew that they would finish second and bottom of Group C respectively before kickoff, but the match got off to a blistering start when Patrick Roberts gave Celtic the lead against his parent club after just four minutes.
City took just four minutes to respond themselves, though, when Kelechi Iheanacho levelled things up to earn a point for the hosts.
Find out how all of the action unfolded courtesy of Sports Mole's minute-by-minute coverage below.
6.45pmGood evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole as the group stages of the 2016-17 Champions League come to an end with Manchester City hosting Celtic at the Etihad Stadium. All four positions are already guaranteed in Group C, but both sides will be keen to finish on a high ahead of next week's draw for the knockout stages. Let's start with a look at the two teams...
6.47pmMANCHESTER CITY STARTING XI: Caballero; Maffeo, Sagna, Adarabioyo, Clichy; Fernando, Zabaleta, Sane, Gundogan, Nolito; Iheanacho
6.47pmMANCHESTER CITY SUBS: Gunn, Foden, Stones, Aguero, Otamendi, Navas, Angelino
6.49pmCELTIC STARTING XI: Gordon; Lustig, Simunovic, Sviatchenko, Izaguirre; Brown, Rogic, Armstrong, Roberts, Forrest; Dembele
6.49pmCELTIC SUBS: De Vries, Toure, Bitton, Griffiths, Gamboa, Mackay-Steven, McGregor
6.51pmWell, Pep Guardiola promised us changes to his starting XI and it is fair to say that he has kept to his word! The Spaniard makes nine personnel changes to the team that was beaten by Chelsea at the weekend, with Leroy Sane and Ilkay Gundogan the only players to retain their place in the side. Considering City can do no better or worse than their current position of second place it is easy to see why Guardiola has opted for such radical change, while it also gives a chance to the likes of Phil Foden, who would become City's youngest ever player in the Champions League and third youngest ever if he comes on.
6.53pmEven with the promise of rotation, perhaps the biggest surprise of the starting lineup is the fact that Sergio Aguero only makes the bench. The striker was sent off for a lunge on David Luiz at the weekend and, as a result of it not being his first red card of the season, will now miss the next four domestic games. Aguero, then, will not be in action again until December 31, so it was suspected that Guardiola may give him one last start before that date. As it is, though, Kelechi Iheanacho, who himself has an admirable scoring record for City, gets the nod instead.
6.55pmIheanacho will receive attacking support from the likes of Sane, Gundogan and Nolito, the latter two of whom have been in decent goalscoring form for City this season and will see tonight as a chance to add to their growing tallies. City's initial teamsheet makes it unclear exactly what formation Guardiola will play, but it is always hard to second guess exactly what he will come up with.
6.57pmThe rotation means that the likes of De Bruyne, Silva and Sterling all get the night off, and it also means that Maffeo and Adarabioyo are handed very rare starts for the first team. They will be keen to impress tonight on the European stage, while it is also a chance for some of the team's other fringe players like Fernando and goalkeeper Caballero to prove themselves to Guardiola.
6.59pmCeltic, meanwhile, have gone down the opposite route to Man City in terms of changes, making just the one as they go in search of their first Champions League group-stage win of the season. City's weaker side means that their chances of getting that are increased, and Brendan Rodgers has named what is more or less a full-strength XI in an attempt to do that. The only switch comes at the heart of the defence as Sviatchenko replaces Kolo Toure - a former Man City player, of course.
7.01pmCeltic's main dangerman this season has been Moussa Dembele, who comes into this match having scored 21 goals for club and country so far this term. His form has led to a number of Europe's top clubs reportedly being interested in him, and it has also kept Leigh Griffiths out of the starting XI. The latter once again misses out tonight, although he returns to the bench having recovered from illness.
7.03pmDembele was not on the scoresheet against Motherwell at the weekend, but four other Celtic players did score in that one and three of them start again tonight. Rogic was ultimately the hero with a 90th-minute winner, while Armstrong and Roberts were also on the scoresheet. The latter of those is a notable inclusion tonight as he is currently on loan at Celtic from Manchester City and is playing against his parent club.
7.05pmAs ever, Scott Brown captains the side having recently become the club's second most successful skipper ever in terms of trophies won. His task will be to protect his defence from City's attacking flair, and it is a back four that sees Sviatchenko return from illness as the only switch. Lustig and Izaguirre provide the width on the flanks, while Gordon is once again between the sticks.
7.07pmThe big question tonight, then, will be whether a full-strength Celtic side can overcome an understrength Man City team, and the reverse fixture between these sides will ensure that Guardiola does not underestimate Celtic. The hosts will still go into the game as comfortable favourites to pick up a victory, though, and ever though only two players remain from that weekend defeat to Chelsea, Guardiola will no doubt want a reaction from his players.
7.09pmSaturday's result at the Etihad is a good representation of how the balance of power has shifted in the Premier League since the start of the season, with Manchester City setting the early pace but now Chelsea looking on course to storm to the title courtesy of eight straight wins. It was a second-half comeback that steered Chelsea to the win in Manchester, and City's misery was compounded late on with red cards for Fernandinho and Aguero that could harm their title bid far beyond that already damaging defeat.
7.11pmThe loss leaves City four points off Chelsea at the top of the Premier League table and down in fourth place - also trailing Arsenal and Liverpool. It is a far cry from their imperious start to the campaign, and that is also reflected in the goals for and against. Man City are now the lowest scorers in the top four having been leading the way earlier this season, while only Liverpool have conceded more goals of teams currently in the top five.
7.13pmThat trend continues into the Champions League and, although their place in the last 16 is already safe with this game to spare, they have conceded more goals than any other side currently in the top two of their group. Eight of those nine goals have come away from home in Europe, so it should be so much of a concern tonight, but it is certainly something that they will need to improve upon if they have ambitions of going all the way this season.
7.15pmGuardiola, of course, has fantastic pedigree in this competition already, but this is the first time that he has ever failed to win his Champions League group as a manager. A runners-up place behind Barcelona is by no means shameful, or indeed a surprise, but it does open them up to the possibility of a very tough draw in the next round. Should they continue their current patchy form in other competitions and crash out in the last 16 of the Champions League then it may not make for a very successful opening season for the Spaniard.
7.17pmOf course, all of that is a long way down the line right now, but City have certainly dropped off the pace in recent months. Having begun Guardiola's reign with 10 consecutive wins, City have won just four of the 13 in all competitions since, drawing five and losing four. City fans will also point out that their only defeat in their last seven outings was against Chelsea at the weekend, while they have also beaten Barcelona recently, but their form still needs to improve if they are to really challenge on all fronts.
7.19pmThe defeat to Chelsea was also their first home loss under Guardiola and their only defeat here in their last 15 games in all competitions stretching back to March 20. Again, though, that is very much the glass-half-full way of looking at things - Man City have also only won one of their last five home outings, which is not good enough for a team of that calibre. In the Champions League City are unbeaten in their last eight at home, though - their best ever such run in the competition - while Lionel Messi is the only visiting player to have scored against them in Europe this calendar year. Victory tonight would see them win all three of their home Champions League group games for the first time ever.
7.21pmIt is a relatively daunting home record in Europe, then, and the odds of a Manchester City victory tonight get even shorter when you consider Celtic's abysmal away record in the competition. The Scottish champions have amazingly only ever won one of 29 away games in the competition, losing a whopping 26 of those, while they have never kept a clean sheet. That victory came in October 2012 when they beat Spartak Moscow 3-2.
7.23pmSince that result in Moscow Celtic have lost seven and drawn one of their eight away games in the Champions League proper, while even including qualifiers it is seven away games since they last picked up a win in this competition. This season alone they are winless in five on the road, which includes their infamous August defeat away to Gibraltan minnows Lincoln Red Imps in their first qualifying round.
7.25pmTheir European form, as you might expect, is in sharp contrast to their domestic form, where they have been utterly dominant for some time now. Sticking with solely away form, the difference is perhaps clearest to see on the road, where Celtic have won their last seven domestic games on the road and only failed to win one of 10 this season, with that game ending as a draw. In all competitions, including the Champions League, Celtic are actually unbeaten in nine away games since a 7-0 drubbing at the hands of Barcelona on matchday one.
7.27pmHome and away, Celtic have lost just one of their last nine outings in all competitions, with that unsurprisingly coming at the hands of Barcelona in the Champions League. Indeed, the only other game they have failed to win in that time came in Europe too as they drew with Borussia Monchengladbach. Aside from that it has been seven wins in domestic action, but it is clear to see from their results that the level of competition in Europe is a few steps up.
7.29pmNo other side in Scotland has been able to hold a candle to Celtic this season in truth, with Brendan Rodgers's side having won 16 and drawn none of their 17 domestic outings this term. They have already picked up their first trophy of the season, beating Aberdeen in the Scottish League Cup final towards the end of last month to claim their 100th piece of silverware in their history and Rodgers's first at the club.
7.31pmIt will not be a surprise to hear that they are also running riot in the Scottish Premier League, dropping just two points so far this season to sit eight clear of Old Firm rivals Rangers and looking certainties for a sixth straight title. They are comfortably the highest scorers in the league - averaging three goals per game - and also boast the best defence too, with their goal difference currently a healthy 16 better than the next best.
7.33pmIt is, however, a different story in Europe and tonight's will be their final continental match of the season after their 2-0 defeat to Barcelona guaranteed bottom spot for the third time in their last four Champions League campaigns. Only Legia Warsaw have conceded more goals than Celtic's 15 - an average of three per game - in all of the groups, while the Bhoys are also the lowest scorers in Group C, so they can have no real complaints at crashing out.
7.35pmPREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff at the Etihad, which means that it is time for a prediction! Man City's weakened side makes this one a little trickier to call, but you would still expect the hosts to have enough quality to get past Celtic, particularly with the visitors' shocking away record. I'll go for a 3-1 home win!
7.37pmI'm sure a repeat of the return fixture between these two sides would suit most neutrals fine after they played out a six-goal thriller at Celtic Park in Glasgow. It was, incidentally, the first match that Pep Guardiola failed to win as manager of City as his run of 10 wins in a row came to an end, and City would have been relatively pleased with a draw too. Celtic led on three separate occasions, only to be pegged back within eight minutes each time in a topsy-turvy affair.
7.39pmCeltic have only ever won one European Cup or Champions League game away to English opposition, with that coming all the way back against Leeds United in the 1969-70 semi-final. They have visited England, and indeed Manchester, on two occasions since, but have lost to Manchester United both times, conceding three goals in both games too. Overall their European record in England stands at three wins, two draws and four defeats, including an ongoing run of three losses in a row.
7.41pmIn contrast, tonight will be the first ever time that Celtic have hosted a Scottish side in a competitive match. City did beat St Johnstone in a pre-season behind-closed-doors friendly at the City Football Academy at the start of August, but that is the sum of their experience hosting a Scottish team - a reminder that, despite the current state of the two teams, Celtic undoubtedly have the greater European pedigree and history.
7.43pmRight, the players are out and the anthem has been played (and jeered), so we're almost ready to go here. First, though, we will have a minute's silence in memory of the tragic Chapecoense plane crash last week.
1 minKICKOFF: Here we go, then! Celtic get us underway at the Etihad for this final Group C encounter.
3 minSAVE! Celtic have the first shooting chance of the match as Caballero is forced a long way off his line to mop up a short pass from Fernando, but he can only get the ball as far as Roberts. The Celtic winger takes it down and finds Rogic, who goes from goal from the edge of the box, but Caballero makes the save.
4 minGOAL! Manchester City 0-1 Celtic (Patrick Roberts)
4 minJust as they did in Glasgow, Celtic have made a perfect start to this match by taking the lead! It is another horror show at the back for the hosts as Caballero's pass out to the left wing invites pressure. Roberts picks the ball up on the right flank and skips past Clichy far too easily before advancing into the box and firing past Caballero. What a way to make your mark against your parent club!
6 minCity have made a very shaky start to his match. It is an unfamiliar starting XI and it looks like it too. Caballero's distribution has been poor so far and Celtic have really been buoyed by that. They are hounded City everywhere.
8 minGOAL! Manchester City 1-1 Celtic (Kelechi Iheanacho)
8 minWe could be in for another thriller! This time Man City are able to pass their way around the Celtic press as Gundogan finds Nolito, who in turn plays it through to Iheanacho. Aguero's stand-in takes a touch and drives into the box before firing his finish into the top far corner. Craig Gordon should have done better, but take nothing away from the finish.
10 minThis has made a very similar start to the reverse fixture, which bodes well for the rest of the game! It is already really stretched and looks like anything but a dead rubber.
11 minCHANCE! Another chance for City and Iheanacho! Two passes cut right through Celtic as Fernando and Nolito combine to release Zabaleta, who in turn platys a perfectly-weight ball across to Iheanacho. The City goalscorer takes his shot first time, but it swerves wide of the target when he probably should have done better.
13 minUPDATE: There has also been a goal in the other match involving an English team tonight, with Arsenal taking the lead against Basel through Lucas Perez.
15 minAguero is undoubtedly the top dog at Man City, but Iheanacho is not a bad back-up at all. He always seems to score...
13 - Kelechi Iheanacho has scored 13 times in 18 starts for Manchester City. Future.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 6, 2016
17 minCeltic think they have another big chance here as a good move ends with Dembele getting in behind, but his low drive is well kept out by Caballero. The linesman's flag is up anyway, although the replay shows that Dembele was in fact onside.
18 minCHANCE! This time it is a huge chance for Dembele, and the flag stays down! Forrest is the creator, jinking past three blue shirts before driving forward into the City half and slipping an incisive pass in to Dembele. The striker tries to dink his first shot over Caballero, who makes the save, but the ball bounces back to Dembele. The angle is against him, but it is still an open goal and he should score rather than smashing it into the side-netting.
20 minUPDATE: More very good news for Arsenal as Lucas Perez has doubled their lead and his personal tally in Basel, while PSG have fallen behind against Ludogorets. As things stand, then, Arsenal will win their group.
22 minLovely play from Sane as he skips past his marker on the left before swinging a beauty of a cross into the middle. Sviatchenko daren't touch it for fear of scoring an own goal, and Izaguirre is there to put it behind for a corner.
24 minImportant defending from Sviatchenko as Nolito reaches the byline down the left side of the area. His low ball is towards Iheanacho, but the Celtic defender slides in to smuggle the ball behind.
26 minInterestingly, Celtic have enjoyed more of the ball than Man City so far in this match. They are very much in the game, but City look dangerous when coming forward themselves. I would be surprised if we have seen the last of the goals in this one.
28 minCHANCE! Another decent chance for Celtic as City can't fully clear a corner and the visitors work it back down the left flank. Izaguirre whips another cross into the box and this time Dembele gets his head to it, but it is straight into the arms of the keeper.
30 minBrendan Rodgers will be pretty happy with what he has seen from his side tonight. They have more than held their own against City so far and they are working so hard to press the hosts off the ball too.
31 minShooting chance for Celtic as Rogic lines one up from range, but his effort is always swerve away from goal and in the end does not trouble Caballero.
33 minCity are just beginning to see a bit more of the ball now, but Celtic are making it more difficult for them to find a way through too. The match has calmed down a little following that frenetic opening.
35 min
2 - Celtic's two quickest ever Champions League goals have both come against Man City this season (2:23 and 3:51 tonight). Blocks.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 6, 2016
37 minCHANCE! City almost go ahead with a stylish effort from Iheanacho, who somehow managed to flick the ball towards goal after Sagna had played it in behind him. Gordon claws the ball away, though, while Nolito's shot on the rebound is blocked behind for a corner.
39 minCeltic have just dropped back a little deeper in the last five minutes or so, not pressing quite as high up the field but still looking to push for the ball when City get close to the halfway line. It is an organised outfit under Rodgers tonight.
41 minNolito does find a bit of space inside the Celtic half here, though, receiving the ball on the turn before threaded a fine ball through for Zabaleta. The ball hits Zabaleta on the back, though, and the linesman's flag is up again anyway, albeit incorrectly.
43 minGood attack from the hosts once again as Sane gets into the box and plays a low ball in from the left, but it doesn't find any of the three blue shirts in the area and Celtic are able to clear.
44 minYELLOW CARD! Celtic want a penalty here as Roberts is pulled back by Clichy just after getting into the box. The referee only awards a corner, though, and Lustig goes into the book for having a few words with the assistant behind the goal.
45 minHALF TIME: Manchester City 1-1 Celtic
8.42pmAn entertaining first half comes to an end at the Etihad Stadium, then, and we are all square at half time between Man City and Celtic. Just like the reverse fixture, it has been an open affair and it would be a surprise if there were no further goals. Certainly, it should be more than 1-1 at the halfway stage.
8.44pmThe opening goal took just four minutes to arrive, and it is one that Patrick Roberts will not forget in a hurry. It stemmed from a defensive error as Caballero's pass from the back put his side in trouble, and Roberts eventually collected the ball on the right flank. The winger, on loan from Man City, jinked his way past Clichy on his way into the box before firing past the keeper. There was no doubt about him celebrating either!
8.46pmIt took just four minutes for City to respond, though, as Iheanacho marked his return to the starting lineup with the equaliser. Gundogan and Nolito combined to thread the ball through for the City striker who took it in his stride before firing past Gordon. Questions should be asked of the keeper, but it was still a decent finish from Iheanacho to maintain his fine scoring record for City.
8.48pmThere have been no shortage of chances aside from the two goals too, and the best of the lot fell the way of Celtic. Some bright play from Forrest saw Dembele left with only the keeper to beat, but having been initially denied by Caballero he then fired a rebound into the side-netting with the goal gaping. The angle was against him, but he still should have been able to squeeze it in.
46 minKICKOFF: Manchester City get us back underway for the second half here at the Etihad. Will we find a winner in this second half?
48 minUPDATE: It hasn't taken Arsenal long at all to surely seal their end of the bargain against Basel, with Lucas Perez completing his hat-trick to make it 3-0 in Switzerland. PSG are still losing to Ludogorets, so Arsenal will win their group as things stand.
50 minCELTIC SUB: The visitors are forced into an early change in this second half as Gary Mackay-Steven replaces Forrest, who limps off with an injury.
52 minA low-key start to this second half compared to the first, with City seeing plenty of the ball so far. Celtic are holding firm at the moment, though.
54 minGundogan comes up with a moment of inspiration as he scoops a pass over the top of the defence for Nolito, who tries to take it around the keeper, but the flag is up once again.
56 minUPDATE: Man City may be struggling to find the breakthrough here, but Arsenal are having no such trouble in Basel. Iwobi has just scored a fourth for the Gunners.
58 minUnfortunately, this second half is struggling to live up to the action-packed nature of the first so far. It will be interesting to see whether Guardiola gives Aguero any minutes tonight, but if he does I suspect it won't be until quite a bit later.
60 minCHANCE! Half a chance for Celtic as Lustig cuts inside from the right flank and into the box, but his finish shows exactly why he is a defender as he slices it well off target.
62 minMAN CITY SUB: The hosts make their first change of the evening as Maffeo is replaced by Jesus Navas.
63 minIt is Celtic who look most like scoring right now, and Rogic has another shooting chance here. This time he is unable to catch his effort right, though, and it skews well off target.
65 minSAVE! More decent football from Celtic as they have another shot on goal, with Mackay-Stevens cutting onto his right foot and curling an effort straight into the arms of Caballero.
67 minDISALLOWED GOAL! City think they have hit Celtic on the counter-attack, but the celebrations are cut short by the linesman's flag! It is a blistering break from the hosts following a Celtic corner, resulting in Nolito tapping hom at the back post from a low Navas cross, but the flag is correctly raised.
69 minUPDATE: More developments to tell you about from Paris, where PSG had equalised against Ludogorets only to fall behind once again. The French champions need to win that game to beat Arsenal to top spot.
71 minLess than 20 minutes remain in this match now and this second half has felt a lot more like a dead rubber than the first. There was plenty of energy and zip about the play in the opening 45 minutes, but that just hasn't been present since the break.
73 minCELTIC SUB: The visitors make another change here as Leigh Griffiths replaces Dembele.
75 minFor the second time tonight, the referee awards a free kick against a player who kept the ball with a good sliding challenge. Nolito stays down following the tackle, and that seems to be enough to award the free kick.
78 minCHANCE! Almost a second goal for Celtic as City once again lose the ball deep in their own half. Mackay-Steven helps it on to Griffiths, who looks to just pass it into the bottom corner, but it ends up a yard past the post.
79 minYELLOW CARD! Ilkay Gundogan becomes the second player in the book this evening for a robust challenge on Rogic.
81 minBright play from Sane as he skips down the left flank before playing a low ball into the middle that needs to be turned behind for a corner.
82 minCHANCE! Big chance for Celtic to possible win this one! Mackay-Steven makes a really good run into the left channel and is not tracked, and the ball finds him with only Caballero to beat. However, the keeper stands up really well and makes a fine stop with a strong right hand.
84 minCeltic may feel that they deserve all three points from this one. They have created more chances and the better ones too, while City have rarely actually threatened Craig Gordon's goal.
85 minYELLOW CARD! Brown goes into the box for a challenge from behind on Iheanacho, conceding a free kick in a very good shooting position for the hosts...
87 minCLOSE! Sane takes on the free kick duties and curls one towards the goalkeeper's side, but it flies just wide with Gordon rooted to the spot. That was not far away at all.
88 minAnother decent position for Sane as he is played through down the left channel and bursts into the box, but he opts to pull the ball back instead of going for goal himself from a tight angle. Sviatchenko slides in and makes a block, which leads to claims for a penalty, but the referee says no. The replay shows that it did hit a hand, but it was a borderline call.
90 minThere will be two minutes of added time at the end of this match.
90+2 minFULL TIME: Manchester City 1-1 Celtic
9.43pmThe referee brings an end to proceedings at the Etihad, then, and Celtic are celebrating a rare Champions League away draw - and at Manchester City no less. They may even feel like they should have won it, but in the end they are forced to settle for a point as Kelechi Iheanacho cancelled out Patrick Roberts's early opener, with both goals coming inside the opening eight minutes.
9.45pmThat is all we have time for this evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's match as Celtic hold Manchester City in their closing Champions League Group C game. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!
