And that’s that! Aguero’s winner is the last act of a highly entertaining David-versus-Goliath battle. Bristol City would have taken this result at the start of the evening, but it’ll sting right now. On the touchline, Pep Guardiola theatrically congratulates Lee Johnson for his team’s performance. It’s a bittersweet moment for the Bristol City boss; his side were magnificent tonight and he’s earned that praise from one of the most successful managers in the game. But they need to win at Ashton Gate in the second leg now. Having gone toe to toe with the runaway Premier League leaders, pushing them to the limit, Bristol City will still think that they can do something special in a fortnight’s time. But how close they were to a very precious result tonight!
GOAL! Manchester City 2-1 Bristol City (Aguero 90+2)
Heartbreak for Bristol City! The hosts stay patient, pinging the ball around the edge of the box. Suddenly, out on the right, Bernardo Silva curls a delicious cross into the box. It’s falling onto Aguero’s head, 12 yards out. Fielding comes, but can’t get there. Aguero rises and glances a header into the middle of the empty net!
Sergio Aguero rises to head home the winner. Photograph: Paul Ellis/AFP/Getty Images
90 min:Bristol City are pinned back in their own area again. Walker and De Bruyne probe with great insistence down the right, again and again, but there’s no way in. Sterling opts to put his head down and run down the same wing like the clappers. He reaches the byline and pulls back, but can’t find a blue shirt. Bristol City hack clear. There’s going to be three added minutes.
88 min: Paterson finds a little bit of space to the right of the Manchester City box. He can’t get a shot away. But Bristol City come again, and the hosts are unable to clear a high ball. It drops to Walsh, just to the right of goal, 12 yards out. He attempts a no-backlift whack into the top right, but slices it high and wide right.
87 min: De Bruyne suddenly bursts down the inside-right channel and into a small pocket of space. Enough space to line up a shot from the edge of the box. He lashes a stunning shot towards the bottom left; it’s deflected an inch wide of the post. De Bruyne takes the resulting corner himself, but he seriously overcooks it and the danger is gone.
Kevin De Bruyne bursts through but his shot is deflected wide. Photograph: Dave Thompsom/AP
85 min: Stones faffs around 30 yards from his own goal, and is very nearly stripped of the ball by the brilliant Reid. The striker would have been free on goal. So nearly so very careless.
84 min:Manchester City pin the visitors back in their own area. This really is defence versus attack. Walker probes down the right side, Danilo down the left. Sterling buzzes around. But Bristol City hold their shape and there’s no way through.
82 min: But Bristol City keep on the front foot. Out on the right, Wright flicks a ball inside for Brownhill, who helps it on to Reid. An ambitious effort to curl one across Bravo and into the top left goes all wrong. But the clock ticks on. Bristol City can see the finishing line now. The next ten minutes or so will seem like ten years to the Championship side.
81 min: A throw for Bristol City deep in Manchester City territory down the right. Brownhill flings it into the area. Mangala is forced to concede a corner. Nothing comes of it.
78 min: Danilo powers down the right but can’t force his way into the Bristol City box. The visitors have recovered their equilibrium since rocking in the immediate wake of conceding. Manchester City’s fans are getting a little frustrated.
76 min: De Bruyne tries to trick a way through a packed Bristol City defence with a flick down the inside left. Sane doesn’t read the clever dink and the ball bounces through to Fielding.
74 min: Manchester City’s desperation betrays them for the first time, Gundogan trying his luck from 30 yards. The ball flies 30 yards high and wide. Pep Guardiola springs off the bench, presumably to tell his players to calm down. Plenty of time left for the victory they desperately desire.
69 min: De Bruyne turns on the gas down the right and reaches the byline, cutting a ball back for Sterling who smashes straight at Fielding. Then another wave of attack as Sane glides down the inside-left channel before teasing as low diagonal effort wide right of the goal.
Manchester City’s Leroy Sane reacts after another missed opportunity. Photograph: Andrew Yates/Reuters
67 min: Manchester City win a corner down the left as Wright denies Sane space with a last-ditch defensive header. The corner’s cleared, and soon enough Reid is battling with last-man Danilo, high up the pitch in Manchester City’s half. Danilo very nearly loses possession dangerously, but a trick later sees him wander away from bother. The chances of this ending 1-1 have to be quite slim.
66 min: It may just be that the best form of defence for Bristol City is attack. Reid, Paterson and Brownhill are all involved in some crisp and confident triangulation down the middle. A lovely sweeping move which ends when Magnusson is caught offside down the left.
64 min: A little respite for Bristol City as Paterson beats Zinchenko down the right. But his low cross, bumped into the area in the hope of finding Reid, is easily snaffled by Bravo.
63 min: A couple of corners for Manchester City; a lot of concern for Bristol City. They can’t get out of their final third right now. They just about deal with the set pieces.
61 min: Sane loops the free kick into the mixer. Fielding goes down to gather and makes a mess of it. The ball nearly drops to Toure. Eventually, after some rat-a-tat pinball, Bristol City hack clear. But they are seriously on the ropes now.
60 min: But now Bryan is booked. Sane, free on the left, crosses too deep. De Bruyne tries to recycle the ball to the right of the box, and is high-kicked to the floor by Bryan. Wild. A no-brainer of a yellow card, in more ways than one.
59 min: Bristol City have suddenly lost their heads a little bit. Bryan is very fortunate not to become the third of their team to go into the book in short order, coming through the back of Sterling in the midfield. The referee thinks a stern chat will suffice.
58 min: Before the free kick is taken, Smith is booked for faffing around in the box. Eventually De Bruyne slams the ball into the wall. Bristol City clear.
57 min: De Bruyne races straight at a backtracking Flint, and clanks into him on the edge of the Bristol City area. Free kick, and a booking for Flint. This is a very dangerous position for Manchester City. These are very dangerous times for Bristol City.
GOAL! Manchester City 1-1 Bristol City (De Bruyne 56)
Scratch that: they were holding their own. In a flash, Bristol City’s lead is gone. De Bruyne strides down the inside-right channel. He slips the ball to Sterling on his outside. Sterling could shoot from a tight angle in the box, but pulls the ball back instead, a return pass which De Bruyne lashes into the top right!
Kevin De Bruyne fires in the equaliser after a smart assist from Sterling. Photograph: Carl Recine/Action Images via Reuters
53 min: Sterling very nearly circumvents Magnusson down the right, but the Bristol City full back is determined to hold his ground and eventually manages it. The visitors are under pressure - not quite under siege yet - and they’re holding their own. So far.
51 min: Mangala gets his feet in a tangle and concedes a corner. Flint very nearly gets a header on target, six yards out, but the hosts clear and go on the quick break. Pack should deal with the danger in the centre circle, but is way too elaborate and allows Sterling to race off with the ball. Sterling makes it to the area, and shoots from a position on the left. Fielding parries bravely and the danger is eventually mopped up.
50 min: De Bruyne, central and homing in on the Bristol City area, slips a ball to Sane on the left. Sane looks to fire a low diagonal shot into the bottom right, but his effort drifts well wide of the target.
48 min: Sterling slides in from the right and very nearly threads a diagonal ball to release Sane into the area on the left. Wright reads the danger brilliantly and hooks away.
46 min: Sterling makes off immediately down the right and wins a corner. Stones gets his head to De Bruyne’s delivery, but he’s been a-pushin’ and a-shovin’, and the referee has a good hard parp of his whistle.
And we’re off again! A freshly bollocked Manchester City get the ball rolling for the second half. There have been no half-time changes to either side. “Flint’s crossbar-shaving clearance to rob Sterling proves Pep Guardiola right,” argues Peter Oh. “Bristol are indeed a tall, tall team!”
45 min +1: Manchester City very nearly equalise, but are denied by a wonderful goalline clearance from Flint! Sterling is sent scampering into space down the inside-right channel, and into the box. He draws Fielding and chips over the keeper. The ball’s floating into the net, but Flint gets back on the line and eyebrows a stunning saving header over the bar! The resulting corner comes to nothing.
Raheem Sterling reacts after his shot was cleared off the line. Photograph: Manchester City FC/Man City via Getty Images
GOAL! Manchester City 0-1 Bristol City (Reid 44 pen)
Reid tucks the ball into the bottom left! Bravo guessed right, but couldn’t get a strong enough hand on the effort. The Championship side take a shock lead! And it’s nothing more than they deserve.
Bobby Reid slots in the penalty, just beating Bravo. Photograph: Paul Ellis/AFP/Getty Images
43 min: Brownhill robs a dithering Mangala in the centre circle. He zips down the inside-right channel and slides the ball forward for Reid, who strides into the area and is upended by Stones! What a clumsy lunge!
John Stones slides in clumsily to take down Bristol City’s Bobby Reid. Photograph: Paul Ellis/AFP/Getty Images
42 min:Manchester City snooze, and nearly give up a huge chance. Pack strokes a long ball down the middle, and suddenly Bristol City are three on two! Smith makes off down the right. The ball’s hooked into the middle, a poor pass, but Paterson can’t ricochet it into the net as he slides in. The hosts clear again.
40 min: Brownhill turns on the jets and wins a corner off De Bruyne down the right. The set piece is aimed at Flint, but Baker gets in the way, and the hosts are able to tidy up.
