Finally Manchester City and the Champions League began to like each other.
For 79 minutes, it had all been very familiar, another flat night with City playing well below their capacity in front of a home support who are rather used to that.
Manuel Pellegrini and his players were going through but — trailing 2-1 to modest German opposition — it was going to be in second place again. Barcelona, Real Madrid or another insurmountable-looking opponent would await them.
But in five remarkable moments here everything changed. A goal from Raheem Sterling drew City level in the 79th minute and then, two minutes later, he scored again, a beauty this time.
Suddenly they were dancing in the aisles in East Manchester. Finally some European joy, finally something that seemed to mean something.
With Juventus losing in Seville, City were top of the group and then, for good measure, substitute Wilfried Bony nudged in a fourth goal and everything was different. By that time a first half that saw David Silva give City the lead only for the Germans to hit back through Julian Korb and Raffael was a distant memory.
Finally, Pellegrini and City have something to hold on to in Europe.The Chilean had railed at claims in the build-up that some of his players are not good enough to see the team through when others are injured. ‘I do not agree with your conclusion,’ was the manager’s definitive take on that debate.
His selection here suggested otherwise. With Sergio Aguero still absent with an injured heel, Pellegrini left his other main centre forward, Bony, on the bench.
By selecting Sterling as a centre forward, with Silva and De Bruyne either side, Pellegrini said everything about the failure of Bony to show his true form since joining in January. Ultimately, it was City’s defending that was to betray them in a first half that didn’t go their way.
It was their failure to deal with the attacking thrusts of ordinary opposition that left Pellegrini and his players staring at each other in disbelief. All it showed, however, was that City have problems at both ends of the field.
For a while in the opening half it looked as though things would be straightforward. With Yaya Toure returning from injury and Silva showing something of his real self, City assumed a semblance of control and they scored a lovely goal in the 16th minute.
It was as simple as it was brilliant. Sterling received the ball with his back to goal on the left and, as he saw Silva preparing to go by him on the outside, he played the Spaniard into space with a lovely backheel.
Silva still had much to do with the angle tight. But, rather than look to find a team-mate in the centre, he took aim at the top near corner and the ball, struck like a missile by Silva’s left foot, was in the back of the net before goalkeeper Yann Sommer could blink.
It was a fantasy goal and it was appreciated by the home support, who had been in need of a fillip. Sadly, though, City could not hold their lead and Monchengladbach were level within minutes.
City’s vulnerabilities in the absence of captain Vincent Kompany have been much-discussed but they were evident again here.
The home team did not look comfortable as the Germans broke and when Fabian Johnson charged past Nicolas Otamendi down the left and crossed towards the back post, the dangerous Korb — who had missed a half-chance early on — arrived to drive the ball low past Joe Hart and into the far corner.
It was a good finish but still a dismal goal to concede by what purports to be a top team. There was, sadly, more of that to come.
City did attempt to rally briefly. De Bruyne broke clear but couldn’t locate Sterling in the centre and then Fernandinho almost found Fabian Delph with a cute ball to the far post.
But City ensured their half-time team talk was a rather unhappy one by appearing statuesque once more en route to conceding a second goal. There was fortune about it as a Johnson shot was deflected out to Oscar Wendt and the ball then found its way to Raffael a matter of six yards out.
The finish was assured, however, and City were suddenly a long way from where they needed to be.
Once again it was hard to ignore the fact that City had been really poor without the ball. Certainly it looked as though their only way through this game was to push forwards and hope there were no more mishaps at the other hand.
Aleksandar Kolarov began the second half by driving a shot against a defender after being supplied by De Bruyne, before Sterling also threatened to work an opening.
Kolarov appealed for a penalty when he had no case but at least Pellegrini’s team were on the front foot. For the first 15 minutes of the second half, the visitors hardly left their own half and on the hour Silva may have done better than shoot weakly at Sommer on the turn after a lateral run from Sterling.