Manchester City recorded a 3-0 victory over Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night.
Rodri sent the home team ahead in the 27th minute before Bernardo Silva and Erling Braut Haaland registered in the second period to put the Premier League giants on the brink of reaching the semi-finals.
The two sides will lock horns for the second leg in Munich next week, with Bayern needing a huge result to avoid being eliminated in the last eight of the competition.
Man City had the first half-chance of the match in the seventh minute when Kevin De Bruyne found Ilkay Gundogan inside the Bayern box, but the midfielder's header was always rising over the crossbar.
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Bayern's first sighter arrived four minutes later, with Alphonso Davies striking one from distance, but the Canada international's effort moved wide of Ederson's post.
The away side's goalkeeper Yann Sommer almost gifted Man City a goal in the 14th minute when he took too long on the ball, which allowed Haaland to close him down, but the Switzerland international just about managed to clear the danger for the visitors.
Pep Guardiola's team continued to pass and probe as the first period developed, with Jack Grealish and Silva seeing plenty of the ball in wide areas, and the pair were unsurprisingly looking to deliver towards Haaland whenever possible.
Brilliant defending from Bayern captain Joshua Kimmich saw the German clear ahead of Gundogan in the 21st minute, with the Man City skipper threatening to meet a cross, before Haaland was kept out by Sommer shortly after, as the home team continued to force the issue.
Jamal Musiala had a goal-bound strike blocked by Man City in the 25th minute, with the German champions just starting to find space in the final third of the field.
The home side managed to make the breakthrough in the 27th minute, though, and it was a spectacular strike from Rodri, who picked out the top corner with a curling effort from distance.
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Man City came close to a second in the 34th minute when Sommer nervously palmed a cross straight to Gundogan under pressure from Grealish, but the Bayern goalkeeper then made a stunning save to deny the experienced midfielder and force a corner.
The final chance of the first period came for Bayern in stoppage time, but Leroy Sane's brilliant effort from distance just dipped wide of Ederson's post.
Sane also had the first opportunity of the second period, with his strike from distance kept out by Ederson; the two players then again went head-to-head in the 49th minute, with Man City's stopper coming out on top after the former Citizens attacker had broken into the penalty box.
There was then a period of panic down the other end, with mistakes from Dayot Upamecano and then Sommer leading to Haaland having a shot from inside the box, but Kimmich was on hand to make a brilliant block.
Ederson then kept out another Sane effort in the 54th minute, before Bayern had two headers from corners, with Matthijs de Ligt and Kingsley Coman both denied.
Nathan Ake was the next player to come close, with the defender testing Sommer's reactions in the 57th minute, before the Bayern goalkeeper expertly denied Dias from close range, and it was somehow still only 1-0 heading for the final 30 minutes of the first leg.
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Man City doubled their advantage in the 70th minute, though, with Silva heading a Haaland cross into the back of the net off the post after Upamecano had carelessly lost out to Grealish in a dangerous area.
Julian Alvarez came close to scoring a third for the home side in the 75th minute, but his low strike was saved by Sommer, before Davies managed to clear under pressure from Silva.
Haaland did make it 3-0 to Guardiola's side in the 76th minute, though, with the Norway international tapping home at the far post after John Stones had headed down into a dangerous area, moving him onto 45 goals in all competitions for the campaign.
Alvarez bent another effort just wide of the post in the 82nd minute, before Sommer did well to keep out a header from Rodri, with the hosts looking for more goals.
Man City ultimately declared at 3-0, though, with the result leaving them in a commanding position when it comes to reaching the semi-finals of the competition.
Matt Law
