After 1-0 win over Steau Bucharest, Man City fans show support for goalkeeper even as manager Pep Guardiola decides to sell him
Manchester: Joe Hart played potentially his last Manchester City game as Pep Guardiola's team rubber-stamped their place in the Champions League group phase by beating Steaua Bucharest 1-0 on Wednesday.
Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart acknowledges the cheers from fans after the UEFA Champions League play-off second leg match against Steaua Bucharest at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester yesterday. Pic/Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT
Leading 5-0 from last week's away leg, City completed a 6-0 aggregate victory courtesy of Fabian Delph's second-half header, putting them in Thursday's group-stage draw in Monaco with room to spare.
But the spotlight at a less than full Etihad Stadium fell squarely on goalkeeper Hart, who was making his first competitive appearance of the season after being frozen out by Guardiola.
With Claudio Bravo poised to complete a £17 million ($22 million, 20 million euros) move from Barcelona, this could have been Hart's 348th and final City appearance.
Pep Guardiola
A veteran of City's two Premier League title wins, two League Cup successes and 2011 FA Cup triumph, the 29-year-old England goalkeeper had his name chanted by the club's fans throughout the game.
Hart, who was handed the captain's armband for the game, has been linked with a move to Everton or Sevilla. His fellow outcast Yaya Toure was also handed a start by Guardiola, who saw Nigerian striker Kelechi Iheanacho hobble off with a muscular injury late on.
'Don't sell Joe Hart'
A picture of Hart had been removed from the stadium's exterior wall prior to the game as part of a visual facelift, but City's fans made it clear they were unhappy about his treatment by Guardiola.
One group of fans held a banner reading "A GOOD HART THESE DAYS IS HARD TO FIND" and a chant of "Don't sell Joe Hart!" broke out within seconds of kick-off.
City controlled the game, but although Iheanacho, Nolito and Delph all hit the target in the first half, none of them came close to troubling Steaua goalkeeper Valentin Cojocaru.
After drawing a block from Cojocaru, Delph made the breakthrough in the 56th minute when he converted Jesus Navas' right-wing cross with a glancing header.
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
