Ilkay Gundogan was delighted to see Scott Carson come on against Sporting because of his level of performance in training as much as his popularity in the squad.
Carson has been at the club for nearly three years and has established himself as a key figure in the dressing room but his only start came away at Newcastle last year in the Premier League game directly after the Blues had been crowned champions. For all Pep Guardiola values the player, he is very rarely needed on the pitch.
With City 5-0 up on aggregate in their Champions League last-16 tie, the third-choice keeper replaced Ederson for the final 20 minutes to give the crowd something to cheer about and mark his first appearance in the competition since 2005 when he played for Liverpool. He also produced a crucial save in Paulinho, taking a whack in the process, to mean City avoided defeat on the night.
