Match Report and Player Ratings: Villarreal 0-2 Manchester City (UEFA Champions League League Phase) | OneFootball

Pep Guardiola’s side travelled to the Estadio de la Ceramica to emerge victorious in a dominant 0-2 win against Spanish side, Villarreal.

City had a great opportunity to score within the opening 30 seconds after a loose ball in the Villarreal half fell kindly to Erling Haaland, who opted to lay it off to Savinho. The Brazilian was caught slightly off guard but managed to find Jeremy Doku, whose effort was comfortably gathered by Villarreal goalkeeper, Luiz Junior.

Just two minutes later, another big chance came the Blues’ way. This time, Bernardo Silva floated a teasing ball into the box, however Haaland could only guide his header wide of the target in a rare miss from the Norwegian striker in form.

Pep Guardiola’s side did manage to find the breakthrough after 16 minutes, with Matheus Nunes picking out Savinho, who knocked the ball down to the byline finding Rico Lewis. The full-back turned midfielder fizzed an inviting ball into the danger zone and Haaland made no mistake this time, sweeping home with his right foot scoring his 15th goal in 11 appearances for the Citizens this season, and the 12th consecutive game for club and country.

Villarreal offered a quick reminder of their threat just before the half-hour mark when Pape Gueye fired a powerful left-footed effort narrowly past the post which forced a reaction out of Gianluigi Donnarumma.

City would double their lead just minutes before half-time as Savinho produced a pinpoint cross from the right-wing to pick out Bernardo Silva inside the area. The City captain met it with a perfectly timed header, nodding the ball into the back of the net to cap a dominant first-half performance.

Pep Guardiola was forced into making a change early into the second-half, with Mateo Kovacic replacing Nico Gonzalez who was unable to continue due to a potential injury.

Villarreal had their best spell midway through the second half as Pape Gueye forced a strong save from Donnarumma with a powerful effort from the edge of the box. The rebound was quickly recycled and crossed back into the area where former Arsenal man, Nicolas Pépé found space for a free header, but was unable to hit the target, flashing his effort wide.

The Citizens nearly added a third after 80 minutes with Kovacic picking out Haaland with a precise long ball over the top. The Norwegian controlled it brilliantly and fired a shot on goal, but Luiz Junior stood firm to make a decent save.

Despite a few late pushes from the hosts, Pep Guardiola’s side saw out the final minutes with composure, closing out a convincing away win to put themselves in a strong position in the league and breaking the winless Champions League away streak.

Here is how we rated the Manchester City players’ performances’ in Tuesday night’s game at the Estadio de la Ceramica!

Player Ratings

Starting XI

Gianluigi Donnarumma – 7.5

Made a few solid saves but was largely untroubled throughout the full 90 minutes.

Matheus Nunes – 7

Nunes seems to be growing into the right-back role, remaining composed and impressing in playing out from the position.

John Stones – 7.5

A good performance from Stones who was able to keep the Villarreal forwards quiet.

Ruben Dias – 7.5

Similar to John Stones, worked well to lead the defence in keeping the oppositions forwards quiet.

Josko Gvardiol – 7

Defensively solid and comfortable in possession, contributing to City’s control at the back.

Nico – 7

Nico was impressive throughout the first half, dominating the midfield and showing promising signs before being substituted for Mateo Kovacic due to injury.

Rico Lewis – 7.5

A solid performance from the Englishman, excelling in his midfield role and managed to pick up an assist.

Bernardo Silva (C) – 8

Silva looked sharp throughout, linking play intelligently and capping a strong performance with a well-taken header

Savinho – 8.5 (POTM)

An excellent showing from City’s number 26, who was at his creative best this evening, assisting the second goal and troubling the Villarreal left-back’s, Alfonso Pedraza and Sergi Cardona throughout the game.

Erling Haaland – 8

The Norwegian was a constant threat up front, scoring the opener and playing a key role in City’s attacking play

Jeremy Doku – 6.5

Showed flashes of creativity but lacked end product in key moments.

Substitutes

Mateo Kovacic – 6.5

Offered control and composure in midfield after coming on.

Tijjani Reijnders – 6

Had limited time to majorly influence the game after coming on, however kept things tidy in the middle.

Oscar Bobb – 6

Did well to keep a hold of the ball after coming on, a safe performance.

Omar Marmoush – N/A

Rayan Cherki – N/A