Clinical performances from Savinho and Erling Haaland lifted Manchester City to a 2–0 victory over Villarreal on Tuesday evening.
Pep Guardiola’s side was eager for redemption after squandering a late lead to Monaco in their previous Champions League fixture, and they delivered at the Estadio de la Cerámica.
Haaland bagged yet another winner for Man City and Bernardo Silva doubled his team’s lead on the brink of halftime, securing all three points in a game the Premier League giants controlled from the opening whistle.
The Cityzens have yet to suffer a defeat in the Champions League this season, putting them in the top half of the league phase standings, surrounded by teams fighting to steal the European crown from Paris Saint-Germain.
Man City Player Ratings vs. Villarreal (4-1-4-1)
GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma—7.8: Had a few unnecessarily nervy moments in the first half, but stood tall when called upon in the second half.
RB: Matheus Nunes—7.5: Tidy in possession. Nunes only misplaced two passes and lost just one of his duels in 90 minutes on the pitch.
CB: John Stones—7.6: Solid at the back and dominant in the air. Perhaps his best contributions on the night came from his impressive play out the back.
CB: Rúben Dias—7.6: Always where Man City needed him to be. Dias’s expert positioning and calmness under pressure fully stifled any threats on the counter attack from Georges Mikautadze and Nicolas Pépé.
LB: Joško Gvardiol—7.8: An unsung hero. Gvardiol did well to link up with Doku, yet consistently delivered inside his own half, boasting 12 clearances in a game Villarreal rarely had the ball.
DM: Nico González—6.7: A quiet night for González, whose services in the middle of the park were rendered nearly unnecessary. The midfielder made an early exit in the second half after picking up an injury.
RW: Savinho—8.5: Got the better of Alfonso Pedraza the entire first half, so much so that the fullback was yanked at halftime. A few errant passes let him down, but otherwise, Savinho put in a dazzling display down the right flank.
AM: Rico Lewis—7.4: Produced a noteworthy performance in just his fourth start this season. Lewis did well to crash the box, pick out his teammates with accurate service and made very few mistakes.
AM: Bernardo Silva—8.2: Lucky to avoid gifting Villarreal a goal in the 71st minute. Otherwise, Silva’s precise passing and relentless work rate were on full display, and he was rewarded with a goal.
LW: Jérémy Doku—7.4: A frustrating outing for Doku. The Belgian showed glimpses of promise, but lacked the end product necessary to outwit the disciplined Santiago Mouriño.
ST: Erling Haaland—7.8: Another clinical performance. The striker will be disappointed, though, to not grab a brace after squandering a golden opportunity in the early stages of the fixture.
Subs not used: James Trafford (GK), Marcus Bettinelli (GK), Nathan Aké, Nico O’Reilly, Phil Foden, Rayan Aït-Nouri.
Villarreal (4-3-3)
Starting XI: Luiz Júnior; Santiago Mouriño, Juan Foyth, Renato Veiga, Alfonso Pedraza; Santi Comesaña, Thomas Partey, Pape Gueye; Nicolas Pépé, Georges Mikautadze, Tajon Buchanan.
Subs used: Sergi Cardona, Alberto Moleiro, Tani Oluwaseyi, Ayoze Pérez, Dani Parejo.
Player of the Match: Savinho
Villarreal 0–2 Man City—How It Unfolded at the Estadio de la Cerámica
Much to the dismay of the home crowd, it only took a matter of minutes before Man City had Villarreal fully pinned inside their own half on Tuesday evening. The hosts quickly found themselves chasing after the quick passes of Guardiola’s men, who maintained possession with ease.
After wasting two early chances, including a close-range header Haaland put wide, the Cityzens got on the scoresheet in the 17th minute. A few teasing passes freed up enough space for Savinho to find a streaking Rico Lewis.
The England international played a lovely reverse ball to Haaland, who then buried his 53rd Champions League goal to put the visitors up 1–0.
You already know who 👀
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Erling Haaland fires Man City into the lead 💥 pic.twitter.com/mz7pcrAZot
Villarreal grew into the game and mustered their best chance of the first half when Pape Gueye unleashed a rocket, seemingly out of nowhere, from the edge of the box. Gianluigi Donnarumma would have been powerless to stop the effort, but it flashed just wide.
The look at goal was a fleeting moment for the Yellow Submarine because soon, Man City went right back to controlling the game. Once again, Savinho was at the heart of the action, this time with a pinpoint cross into the box that Silva headed home in the 40th minute.
The Premier League giants kicked off the second half in cruise control at the Estadio de la Cerámica. Although they struggled to create the dangerous chances they managed in the first half, Man City were more than happy to dominate possession and dictate the tempo of the match once again.
Marcelino García’s men would not go away quietly, though. A heavy touch from Silva at the edge of his own box opened the door for Gueye send another powerful strike the way of Donnarumma, but the former PSG keeper made a huge save to keep Villarreal off the scoresheet.
The woodwork was also against the hosts in the dying moments of the match, preventing Tani Oluwaseyi from pulling one back for his side in the 89th minute. The nervy moment for Man City was the last highlight of the match before the referee blew the final whistle.
Villarreal vs. Man City Half-Time Stats
Villarreal vs. Man City Full Time Statistics
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Man City Player Ratings vs. Villarreal: Guardiola’s Stars Shine in Dominant Victory.