I spotted Phil Foden tactical change that showed Man City have got their talisman back

Manchester City got their Champions League campaign up and running with a 2-0 win against Napoli and Phil Foden made the key contribution.

Manchester City made it back-to-back wins for the first time this season as they beat Napoli 2-0 in their opening Champions League game at the Etihad.

Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo was sent off after 20 minutes for bringing down Erling Haaland when through on goal, and City were in command from then on.

They opened the scoring early in the second half after a brilliant Phil Foden pass allowed Erling Haaland to loop a header over Napoli goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic.

Jeremy Doku made the game safe with an excellent individual strike to ensure City maintained their momentum heading into Sunday's clash with Arsenal.

Foden's positional shift

It was threatening to look like a long evening for City until a moment of magic unlocked a defence that had been obdurate until that point.

It came from Foden's wonderful left foot, but it also came after his position was changed and his influence grew. He had initially started the game on the right, with Bernardo Silva on the left, but that changed after the break, and you can see why.

Foden looks back to his best this season and City needed to get him on the ball in central areas to break Napoli down. He did just that with one velvety touch and from that moment on, the Blues were cruising.

Guardiola's Doku touch

Doku can't have had many better weeks than this in a City shirt. His two assists on Sunday were crucial to victory in the Manchester derby and his goal against Napoli was one of his best in his time at the Etihad.

The Belgian knows he must go to another level this season and these have been promising appearances on that front. Goals, especially, are something he needs to deal more in and this one was a brilliant strike.

He was replaced soon after, with his legs saved for Arsenal on Sunday, but he got a warm embrace from Guardiola as he left the pitch and a prolonged word in the ear. The City boss looked delighted with what he had seen.

Haaland makes his point

The red card to Napoli captain Di Lorenzo was a crucial moment in this game and it owed much to the strength and cleverness of Haaland.

It didn't look like City's No.9 was going to reach Foden's pass first, but he showed the strength to get there and hold Di Lorenzo off. Then, he positioned his body perfectly to ensure that any attempt to make the tackle would see the right-back have to go through Haaland.

That is exactly what happened, and although referee Felix Zwayer initially waved play on, Haaland was absolutely adamant, and the replay irrefutably backed up his case.

De Bruyne's disappointment

As Kevin De Bruyne walked back into the Etihad on Thursday night, there was a familiar face waiting for him, with Micah Richards offering a bear hug as the Belgian walked towards the dressing room area.

After getting out of Richards' grip, he walked up the stairs to the dressing rooms and then remembered to turn left into the away dressing room. It must have been a very unusual feeling for De Bruyne.

It was noticeable that as plenty of his Napoli teammates headed out onto the pitch for a look around, he stayed in the dressing room. He knows every inch of this pitch.

He wanted to get through the formalities quickly but was knocked off his stride, quite literally, by Ruben Dias, who offered a little friendly shove with his handshake.

That was as good as his night got. Di Lorenzo's red card ripped up Napoli's game plan and when Antonio Conte reshuffled his pack after 25 minutes, it was De Bruyne's No.11 that went up. That chance to prove City were wrong to let him go was over in a flash.

Arsenal clues

It was something of a surprise to see Guardiola pick an unchanged team for the visit of Napoli, given the scale of the task that awaits at the Emirates on Sunday.

City were beaten 5-1 by Arsenal there last season, and it's clearly a massive game at this stage of the campaign. The Blues can't really afford a third defeat in the Premier League already.

Rodri is maybe the most unlikely player to start three games in a week, but then surely you would want the Ballon d'Or winner to line up against Arsenal, especially with the physicality that Mikel Arteta's team brings. The fact that he was taken off on the hour mark might mean he has enough left in the tank to go again.