Man City have their version of Liverpool weapon as game-changing fixtures loom

Jack Grealish and Kevin de Bruyne were rightly among those who took the plaudits as Manchester City kicked off their Champions League campaign in thrilling style against RB Leipzig.

But another player showed he is returning to form with huge games looming against Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool.

Joao Cancelo scored City's fifth goal in the 6-3 spectacle at the Etihad, firing home a rocket from long range after receiving the ball from Ilkay Gundogan.

It was a deserved slice of the glory after he made the most of an opportunity to impress in his favoured position - at least in an attacking sense.

At a crucial point in the game, it was Cancelo's ball into the box that led to Lukas Klostermann conceding a penalty as he hand-balled under pressure from Ferran Torres.

Joao Cancelo celebrates after scoring Man City's fifth goal in a 6-3 win over RB Leipzig ( Image:

Getty Images)

Riyad Mahrez dispatched the spot-kick superbly - putting City back in control at 3-1 after they were briefly unsettled by Christopher Nkunku pulling a goal back.

Cancelo almost got himself an assist in the 66th minute when he split the Leipzig defence with a sensational through-ball, but Torres had strayed offside before rounding the keeper and firing home.

That was one of several excellent passes the Portuguese ace had made on a night when City displayed their attacking prowess - although admittedly against a team that left huge spaces behind them.

There are question marks over Cancelo's defending, and he won't be happy with his role leading up to Nkunku's first goal, while he was nowhere to be seen for the Leipzig midfielder's second.

But he showcased his excellent passing range from mid-range positions that became such a weapon in City's Premier League title charge last season.

The same night, Trent Alexander-Arnold played a crucial role in Liverpool's win over AC Milan, having been hailed as "the best right-back in the world" by Jurgen Klopp and "the best passer in English football" by Gary Lineker over the past week.

While not quite at Alexander-Arnold's level, Cancelo showed signs he can be City's answer to the Anfield star - admittedly against an attack-minded Leipzig side who left huge spaces at the back.

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Kyle Walker's form has seen Cancelo playing at left-back ( Image:

Getty Images)

Kyle Walker has made City's right-back position his own with his excellent form in recent months, with his team-mate having started at left-back for the past three Premier League games.

But there is no doubt Cancelo can influence games more with the ball on his favoured foot, and with a packed run of crucial fixtures coming up he will hope he has done enough to earn a start on the right against Southampton on Saturday.

Pep Guardiola may prefer the pace, aggression and defensive nous of Walker when City's season gets real next week with consecutive trips to face Chelsea, PSG and Liverpool in an eight-day spell.

But the return to form of Cancelo couldn't come at a better to give the City boss options.