Manchester United are not alone in going into the Manchester derby grateful for the heroics of a Portuguese in the
Champions League. João Cancelo’s exploits may have been less dramatic than Cristiano Ronaldo’s last-gasp intervention against Atalanta but his hat-trick of assists put
Manchester City top of Group A and on the cusp of booking their spot in the last 16 for a ninth successive season.
![João Cancelo’s hat-trick of assists pulls Manchester City away from Club Brugge](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/e0dda1c872f870ebd5234d1b42e6cfef081af393/0_448_7947_4767/master/7947.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctZGVmYXVsdC5wbmc&enable=upscale&s=a9c3beb6bacb704fb515a3c572a5ca8a)
An ultimately emphatic scoreline was facilitated by the full-back who doubles up as a playmaker and, when he hit the post, was almost a scorer as well. “He is playing incredibly well all season,”
Pep Guardiola said. “He is in a special place, having a special ability to do something good.”