Pep Guardiola Delighted as Manchester City Share Scoring Duties Beyond Erling Haaland

Pep Guardiola expressed his satisfaction after Manchester City secured a comfortable 2-0 victory away to Villarreal in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday evening, with someone other than Erling Haaland finally joining the Norwegian on the scoresheet.

As expected, Haaland found the net once again to open the scoring — extending his sensational run — before captain Bernardo Silva added a second with a commanding header, sealing City’s first Champions League away win in six attempts.

The result comes just days after City’s 2-0 win over Everton, when Haaland scored both goals. That brace meant he had been responsible for City’s last seven goals in all competitions, prompting Guardiola to remark that the team could not depend solely on their prolific striker. Haaland has now scored an astonishing 24 goals in 14 appearances for club and country this season.

“I’m delighted that Erling scored again, but also that Bernardo got one — and with his head, no less,” said Guardiola after the match. “It reminded me a little of Lionel Messi — it’s like they have a hammer in their necks. They may be small, but they’re excellent at timing the header perfectly.”

Guardiola continued: “I’m happy with the performance and the result. Villarreal had some good moments; they’re a top-quality side. The energy was right, and the first half in particular was very strong. We took our chances at the right times and looked dangerous going forward.”

The victory extends City’s unbeaten run in all competitions to nine matches and takes them to seven points from their opening three fixtures in the Champions League league phase — a healthy position compared to last season, when they struggled and failed to reach the last 16.

“The key difference from last season is fitness,” Guardiola explained. “Back then, we had players injured and recovering in the hospital. We only had 15 or 16 fit players, and they were exhausted after 70 minutes because they were playing every three days.”

Although City’s win was rarely in doubt, Villarreal did threaten at times in the second half, forcing the Premier League champions to stay sharp.

“We felt largely in control of the match,” said Guardiola. “There are always areas where we can improve. There were a few spells where they caused us problems, and those moments could have been avoided. If we want to win this competition, we have to be demanding of ourselves.”

He added: “We’re pleased with the clean sheet and the win. Even at 2-0, the game isn’t completely finished — Villarreal had a couple of chances. We took too long to push them deeper and control the rhythm, but we’ll learn and get better.”