Man City won the first leg, putting one foot in the quarter-finals

The English side claimed an impressive 3-1 win over Dynamo Kiev and created a huge advantage ahead of the second leg at the Etihad Stadium.

Man City is making good progress in this season's Champions League. Photo: Reuters.

The visitors started well in Ukraine, controlling the first half and quickly scoring two goals in the first 45 minutes. Sergio Aguero opened the scoring in the 15th minute before David Silva doubled the lead with a close-range tap-in.

Dynamo Kiev fought back in the second half and pulled one back through Vitaliy Buyalskiy, whose shot deflected off Otamendi and left goalkeeper Joe Hart helpless.

However, the two-goal lead was restored by Yaya Toure in the 90th minute with a classy curler with his weaker left foot from outside the 16m50 box.

Man City and manager Manuel Pellegrini are under huge pressure heading into the Champions League round of 16. They have won just one of their four games since Pep Guardiola was announced as their new boss next season. The Chilean has even been criticised for his use of the reserves in last weekend's FA Cup defeat to Chelsea.

However, Pellegrini's choice was somewhat proven correct when the team had a big win against Dynamo Kiev. Fielding the strongest squad at hand, Man City quickly dominated the game and scored an early goal. Aguero continued to be the leader for the English team, scoring the opening goal and constantly threatening the goal of 41-year-old goalkeeper Olexandr Shovkovskiy.

Man City only faltered in the second half when the home team pushed up. Despite conceding a goal, they maintained their lead thanks to a goal from Yaya Toure. A two-goal lead and three away goals is a huge advantage when they return to the Etihad on March 15.

Silva impressed when returning to the attacking midfielder position. Photo: Reuters.

Pellegrini has reshuffled his squad with a number of injured wingers missing. David Silva has been moved inside behind Aguero and Fernandinho has been on the right wing. Toure has dropped back to the centre with Fernando to give Silva space and this has allowed the Spanish midfielder to shine.

Silva's movement and passing helped Man City launch their attack smoothly in the first half. Playing closer to goal, Silva had the opportunity to penetrate the 18m50 box and score Man City's second goal at the end of the first half.

Alongside the attack, City's defence also had a busy time in the second half. Captain Kompany was playing his second game in seven weeks due to a calf injury, but was still a rock for his team-mates. Goalkeeper Joe Hart also made a great save to deny Buyalskiy from inside the box late on.

Dynamo Kiev is unlikely to cause a surprise in the second leg. Photo: Reuters.

This was Dynamo Kiev's first competitive match since December 9 last year. The home side's players seemed to have not returned to their best form as they struggled with Man City's high-intensity play. Dynamo Kiev's star man, Andriy Yarmolenko, had some long-range shots but did not pose a threat to Joe Hart.

Dynamo Kiev had a good start to the second half but could not maintain the tempo until the end of the match. After missing a number of chances, the home team was hit back in the final minute of regulation time. The heavy defeat at home meant that the Ukrainian representative's chances of advancing were very slim.

According to VNE