Two first half goals by Luis Suarez gave Barcelona a 2-1 win at Manchester City as they moved within sight of the Champions League quarter-finals though Lionel Messi missed a late penalty.

In a repeat of last season's round of 16 first leg at the Etihad, Barcelona were too slick for City who were sent reeling by a dizzying opening 45 minutes from the visitors.

Uruguay forward Suarez fired Barca in front in the 16th minute and doubled the lead after half an hour with the hosts powerless to stop the yellow tide surging towards their goal.

A vastly improved second half showing from City gave them hope for the second leg at the Nou Camp next month with Sergio Aguero halving the deficit 20 minutes from time.

With City down to 10 men after Gael Clichy's red card, Messi could have restored Barcelona's two-goal lead but his penalty was saved by Hart before the Argentine headed the rebound wide.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.