Trailing to Lionel Messi's opener, Chile international Bravo was shown a straight red card for deliberately handballing Luis Suarez's goal-bound shot, giving Barca the initiative in a game in which they had failed to hit their usual heights.
Messi’s treble now means that he has scored 50 goals at home in the Champions League, more than any other player in the competition’s history.
Barca boss Luis Enrique says ‘He [Messi] was decisive,’
“He was involved in all the game’s key moments. Messi finishes as if he were playing on the school playground.”
Messi’s treble, plus Neymar’s late strike, sealed the victory for Luis Enrique’s side, who are now five points clear of City at the top of Group C.
According to Opta, Messi has scored more Champions League goals against English clubs than he has against sides from any other nation.
Also, Real Madrid (9) are the only team to score more hat-tricks than Lionel Messi (7) in the Champions League
City continued to be architects of their own downfall as Messi punished errors to complete his hat-trick, before Neymar added gloss to the victory late on.
Pep Guardiola says
"Sometimes there are mistakes and sometimes you have to kick the ball out but most of the time, when we play good, it starts from there."
He added: "It always difficult to play against Barcelona with 11 players so with 10 the game was over. Until then the game was open".
"The last time I was here [with Bayern] we controlled the game but didn't create any chances, today we created enough".
"We arrived at their by-line many times and we created enough chances to score one or two goals. When Barcelona's strikers arrive they punish you because they have a lot of quality but, with exception to the goal (Messi's first), we were in control".
"We lost 4-0 so yes, it is bad, but not given the club's situation. We are a new club, we are in the process of getting to know each other and we are a club who weren't in Europe for 35 years".
"We came here and played with huge personality, with good high pressing and dealt with long balls to Luis Suarez and Neymar, which is not easy".
"We kept the ball, we created clear chances and they scored through Fernandinho's slip. We started the second half really well and created chances with Kevin De Bruyne".
"Of course after that we played 10 against 11 against Barcelona and were soon 2-0 down."
City were left to rue a host of missed chances on a night where Barcelona were not at their scintillating best".
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