'We played a fantastic game' – Guardiola lauds Man City's all-round showing against Villarreal
Pep Guardiola believes Manchester City played a "fantastic game" as they cruised to a comfortable win over Villarreal on Tuesday.
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola says his side played a "fantastic game" in their 2-0 Champions League victory over Villarreal at the Estadio de la Ceramica on Tuesday.
Erling Haaland and Bernardo Silva struck within the first half to put City ahead, while Savinho and Rico Lewis also enjoyed impressive outings in midfield.
Lewis teed up Haaland for the opener just 17 minutes in with a superb cut-back pass, while Savinho's clipped cross into space allowed Silva to nod home five minutes before the break.
While Villarreal squandered a flurry of late chances, it was ultimately a comfortable victory for Guardiola's side, who ended a run of five Champions League away games without a win (D1 L4).
Tuesday's victory was also their first away win in Europe in over a year, with their last being a 4-0 win at Slovan Bratislava on October 1, 2024.
"It's a tough place to come. We played really good," Guardiola said to TNT Sports. "At the end, they had one or two chances, but we played a fantastic game. A good step for us in this tournament.
"It's good that not just Erling scored, and we had more chances for others, impact from Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders was good too.
"[We were] a little disappointed with result in Monaco. We created chances and didn't win, and played the same, but [on Tuesday] got the goals.
"Teams in La Liga are really tough and [Marcelino] is a top-class manager. Really pleased."
Guardiola also reserved special praise for Lewis, who shone in a more attacking midfield role than he is normally given.
"I'm sure that 90% of people see Rico Lewis line up there and know what he will do," the Spaniard added.
"I love this player. I love this type of player – offensively, defensively. He knows perfectly when he has to move, and I’m really pleased with his game."
When pressed about Tuesday's win being City’s first on the road in Europe in over a year, Guardiola admitted: "Last season was not good.
"But 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."
