Manchester City forward Sergio Aguero celebrates scoring his side’s third goal to complete his hat-trick during their Champions League Group C match against Borussia Moenchengladbach at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester on Wednesday. City won 4-0. (Photo: AP)

Sergio Aguero scored a hat-trick as Manchester City outclassed Borussia Moenchengladbach 4-0 in their rearranged Champions League opener at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.

The game had been carried over from Tuesday due to a thunderstorm and Aguero made up for lost time with his second treble of the campaign after his hat-trick against Steaua Bucharest in the play-off round.

The Argentina striker, currently serving a domestic ban, struck twice in the first half and once in the second before giving way to Kelechi Iheanacho, who netted City’s fourth.

City manager Pep Guardiola said the delay had no adverse effect on his players, quipping: “We were at home, sleeping with our wives.”

“This was the most important game in the season to now,” he added. “Considering the opponent, the pressure that we had, we played really, really good.”

With his former club Barcelona, as well as Celtic, lying in wait in Group ‘C’, Guardiola had warned his players that a strong start in the competition was imperative.

City reached the semifinals for the first time last season while Guardiola, who has won all seven of his games at the helm to date, is bidding to win the tournament for a third time.

It was a third successive defeat against City for Andre Schubert’s Gladbach, who lost twice to the English side in last season’s group stage.

“We had to get everything right, be very courageous and attack high up with high intensity,” said Schubert. “We didn’t manage to do that. We couldn’t stop City’s build-up and we didn’t show quality in defence. That’s why Man City won so clearly.”