Erling Haaland continued his remarkable scoring run as Manchester City produced a dominant display to beat Villarreal. The Norwegian striker opened the scoring in the 17th minute, his 12th consecutive appearance with a goal for club and country, before Bernardo Silva doubled the lead before half-time.
Haaland's goal came after a patient move involving John Stones and Savinho, with Rico Lewis crossing for the Norwegian to tap in from close range. City's superiority was such that they registered 65% possession, and Villarreal's manager Marcelino García Toral admitted his team were like "a boxer waiting to be hit".
Pep Guardiola expressed satisfaction with his side's control, saying they were "coming back to what you were in the past". Villarreal, meanwhile, struggled to contain City's fluid formation, which saw Stones step forward from defence.
Villarreal improved after the interval, with Nicolas Pépé forcing a save from Gianluigi Donnarumma and Pape Gueye heading wide, but City remained dangerous. Haaland hit the post and had two further efforts saved before being substituted to whistles from the home crowd.
The result underlined Manchester City's resurgence, with Guardiola's team appearing far more like the side that has dominated English football in recent seasons rather than the underperforming version seen earlier in the campaign.
