MAN CITY 2, AC OMONIA 1: City need to be quick learners:

(City won 4-2 on agg)

AS Manchester City last night won through to the group phase of the UEFA Cup, the rest of the European clubs can hardly be quaking in their boots at the prospect of playing the Eastlands side, writes TONY BUGBY.

It has been an unimpressive passage through three rounds so far against teams from the Faroe islands, Denmark and Cyprus, hardly three super powers in world football.

City’s display last night against Cypriot team AC Omonia was as unpredictable as the climate here when you can four seasons in one day.

In the space of 90 minutes, City went from mind-blowingly bad in the opening half to making a whirlwind start to the second period in which Elano and Shaun Wright-Phillips scored in the opening 10 minutes to seal victory.

And despite taking their foot off the throttle once more, City had enough chances late on to have triumphed by a much wider margin.

But if City are going to make a fist of winning the UEFA Cup, they are clearly going to have to up the ante from the early rounds.

Manager Mark Hughes believes his team will benefit from the experience as he explained: “It is a learning process and Europe throws up different problems and different situations you have to deal with.”

City finally woke up when Robinho pulled the ball back from the left for Elano to fire home a scorching drive from 25 yards.

And it was soon 2-0 with a scrappy goal which mirrored the match as Wright-Phillips only found himself through on goal after two lucky ricochets, though there was no faulting his well-executed finish.

Substitute Rasheed Alabi reduced the deficit with a near-post close-range header from a corner with 12 minutes left.