Villarreal vs Manchester City Review
Manchester City ended a streak of five away games without a win in the UEFA Champions League by defeating Villarreal 2-0, becoming the first team to win at the Estadio de la Cerámica since Real Madrid in March. Within the first 30 seconds, City had a clear chance to score, but Luiz Júnior made an impressive one-handed save to deny Jérémy Doku. City dominated the early moments, and the expected goal from Erling Haaland came soon after. Some skillful passing down the right side allowed Rico Lewis to deliver a cut-back for Haaland, who finished confidently, marking his 12th consecutive game scoring for club or country.
During the first half, the Yellow Submarine offered very little in terms of attack, mainly due to City’s control of the game. However, they managed to create a chance just before the 30-minute mark when Pape Gueye found some space at the edge of the box and fired a left-footed shot that narrowly missed. City, on the other hand, capitalized on their dominance five minutes before halftime by doubling their lead. Savinho was central to everything positive for the visitors, delivering a cross that Bernardo Silva, unmarked, headed into the corner of the net.
The early part of the second half was uneventful, with City comfortably managing the game. But they soon demonstrated their threat when Savinho tested Luiz Júnior around the 60-minute mark. Villarreal didn’t get a clear chance at City’s goal until the 70th minute, but when they did, they nearly reduced the deficit twice within half a minute. Gueye was the first to try, forcing a save from Gianluigi Donnarumma with a shot from the edge of the box, followed by former Arsenal player Nicolas Pépé, who slipped into the area and headed just wide from six yards.
Pep Guardiola’s team comfortably secured their victory, despite Haalnad missing several chances later on. This marked only their fifth away win in their last 15 Champions League matches against Spanish teams. Villarreal’s loss means they have yet to win in the Champions League this season after three matchdays.
