Brian Barry-Murphy was keen to state his delight after Tuesday's UEFA Youth League 5-2 victory over Red Star Belgrade at the Joie Stadium.

An Emilio Lawrence brace plus strikes from Will Dickson, Kane Taylor and Jaden Heskey got City off to a winning start in Group G.

Speaking to CityTV after the game, Barry-Murphy’s pride in his players shone through.

City 5-2 Red Star | Highlights

“I’m over the moon,” he said.  

“I’ll never take for granted an achievement like this result in Europe given the level of competition.

“We had so many difficult games and experiences last season that I know to appreciate results like this because of the work that has gone in to it.

“We saw in the first half they caused us plenty of problems and there were signs of nerves on our part but the lads grew into the game.

“A lot of what we did in the second half was what we planned for and will be very good for us going forward.”