Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is enjoying his side’s vibes after they strolled to a convincing 2-0 win over Villareal in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night.
The Cityzens had been without an away win in Europe in over a year, but produced a dominant display at the Estadio de la Ceramica to claim a second win in three UCL matches this season.
Most of the prematch talks were centered on their underwhelming away form last season, which continued in their 2-2 draw against AS Monaco only a few weeks ago.
The hosts went into the clash without a defeat in front of their home fans since March, while Pep Guardiola’s side had found form and were unbeaten in their last eight in all competitions.
“Tough place to come. We played really good. At the end they had one or two chances but we played a fantastic game. A good step for us in this tournament”, Guardiola admitted after the game.
“It’s good that not just Erling [Haaland] scored and we had more chances for others. Impact from Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders good too. “
The in-form Erling Haaland opened the scoring in the first half – scoring for a 12th consecutive match for club and country, finishing off a fine team move.
Bernando Silva doubled the advantage before the interval, with City proving to be too much to handle for the home side.
“Little disappointed with result in Monaco, we created chances and didn’t win and played the same as today but today got the goals. Teams in LaLiga are really tough and a top-class manager”, the Spaniard continued.
“Our numbers in the Champions League in the last year are not bad. Personally my numbers are not bad. But last season was tough for us, the vibe and how the team are playing now make me feel fine.”
Manchester City are back in action this weekend in the English Premier League when they face Aston Villa on Sunday, while Villareal look to bounce back from the defeat when they face Valencia in the Spanish La Liga.
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