It was the dullest of 1-1 draws but the point Manchester City gained at home to Shakhtar Donetsk on November 26 was good enough to see the Premier League champions advance to the knockout stages of the Champions League for the seventh straight season.



City had beaten the same side 3-0 in Ukraine two months earlier and 6-0 at the Etihad a year before. So, the 52,000 fans present, with the honourable exception of the small but noisy travelling contingent, could be forgiven for sounding a little underwhelmed as the home side huffed and puffed for a winner.



Never mind, though, seemed to be the consensus. Forget an Ederson howler that almost let Shakhtar Donetsk in again, do not worry about the team’s inability to translate chances into goals and do not panic about the reliance on Fernandinho at the back or Kevin De Bruyne to put the ball on a plate for the forwards.



After all, the draw was worth another £750,000, taking City’s Champions League...