Storm Dudley forces Man City flight to divert after Champions League win

The plane carrying the Manchester City squad back from Lisbon following their Champions League win over Sporting CP has been forced to divert - due to high winds brought about by Storm Dudley.

City thrashed Sporting 5-0 in the Portuguese capital in the first leg of the last 16 tie on Tuesday night, courtesy of a brace from Bernardo Silva and strikes from Riyad Mahrez, Phil Foden and Raheem Sterling.

However, after a smooth ride on the pitch, their journey back to Manchester has been disrupted by strong winds at the city's airport as Storm Dudley reached British shores.

The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for wind on Wednesday, with gusts of 90mph predicted in some parts of the UK.

The adverse conditions forced the flight carrying the City squad to divert, with the plane landing safely 31 miles away in Liverpool instead.

In a statement, the club said: "We can confirm the plane transporting the first team home from Lisbon has landed safely in Liverpool, after high winds forced a diversion from Manchester."

City are very, very firm favourites to progress to the quarter-finals of the Champions League following the romping victory in Lisbon.

Asked after the game who he felt could stop his side winning the competition overall, manager Pep Guardiola said: “Liverpool. They are six points behind us [in the Premier League]. They’ve been our biggest rivals in the past few seasons and are always there – a pain in the a***, all the time! They are a fantastic team in Europe.”