Man City's Julian Alvarez is stepping up.

While Erling Haaland , City's goal-scoring machine may be stealing the show at the Etihad, the Norwegian's backup has consistently demonstrated his ability this season.

A standout performance against Liverpool earlier this month after replacing Haaland was followed by a cameo appearance from the bench in Saturday's 4-1 thrashing of Southampton.

An eye-catching display when he came in for Haaland against Liverpool earlier this month was followed by a cameo from the bench in Saturday's 4-1 demolition of Southampton.

The striker, 23, netted in both of those games to take his Premier League tally to seven, while he has also bagged two in the Champions League and three in the FA Cup as City chase glory on three fronts.

Ahead of tonight's showdown with Bayern Munich, we reflect on the increasing importance of the Argentine assassin to Pep Guardiola's side.

In the absence of an injured Haaland, Alvarez started against Liverpool and did not miss a beat.

The Cordoba native kick-started City's comeback victory by tucking home a Jack Grealish cross before finding Riyad Mahrez in space with a stunning cross-field pass that led to a second.

There was more to come.

It was Alvarez's goal-bound effort — stopped by Alisson — that fell to the feet of Ilkay Gundogan, who smashed in a third to all but kill the game.

City went on to win 4-1 and would repeat that scoreline against the hapless Saints, who had the returning Haaland to deal with before Alvarez replaced him after 69 minutes.

Pep talk

City boss Pep Guardiola is a big fan of Julian Alvarez

City boss Guardiola applauded Alvarez's ability to fill in for Haaland after his side disposed of the Reds on April 1.

He said: "When we have Erling, we have something special. And Julian is something special, too.

"[He] scored a perfect goal, the action was brilliant, [then] the vision in the second one to play in Riyad. He was involved in the first three goals.

"He was so clever with the ball, he's an exceptional player. The club made an exceptional signing with him — he's a world champion alongside Lionel Messi because he has something."

Alvarez joined City in January 2022 but finished last season with River Plate before packing his bags for Manchester.

And the Etihad faithful will happily tell you, his contributions off the ball make him a different proposition to Haaland.

The 20-cap international is an aggressive presser and he also enjoys getting involved in build-up play, creating pockets of space for team-mates to attack and pass into.

As someone who is no stranger to finding the net, former Liverpool and England striker Peter Crouch has been impressed by what he has seen from Alvarez.

He said: "I think he gets into every other Premier League team in the country.

"Because he's behind Haaland, he's not had the games he would have liked.

"But he's a constant menace. He's constantly on the move, he's unselfish, he draws players towards him, he works hard.

"He's got everything. He's a team player and he chips in with goals."