Erling Haaland finds the net again, but Pep Guardiola faces yet another midfield injury.
In Manchester City’s 2-0 triumph against Villarreal in the Champions League on Tuesday, Guardiola celebrated Haaland’s impressive 24th goal in just 14 matches this season, while also witnessing holding midfielder Nico González leave the pitch due to an injury.
The Norwegian striker now boasts 53 goals in 51 Champions League appearances and has scored in nine consecutive matches across all competitions for City. Haaland has claimed to be in the best form of his career.
Despite their second victory in three matches in the tournament’s expanded league stage, the win came at a cost as González appeared to suffer a right knee injury early in the second half.
He had been stepping in for fellow Spaniard Rodri, who is dealing with a hamstring injury after spending most of last season recovering from an ACL tear.
Mateo Kovacic, who recently returned from a five-month layoff due to an Achilles injury, took González’s place in the 56th minute.
Bernardo Silva also found the back of the net for City, extending their unbeaten streak across all competitions to nine matches.
Guardiola remarked, “I’m happy Erling scored again and that Bernardo got on the scoresheet too with his header. It reminded me a bit of [Lionel] Messi—it’s like a hammer; they may be shorter but they’re so effective in the air.”
“I’m pleased with the win. Villarreal had some good opportunities and they are an excellent team. The mood is positive, and we played well in the first half, scoring at crucial moments.”
This victory also marked an end to a five-match winless streak away from home in the Champions League for City. With seven points from their three league matches thus far, they find themselves in a solid position compared to last season, when they struggled to reach the round of 16.
Guardiola added, “The main difference from last season is that we had so many injured players. We had 15 or 16 players unavailable and they were tiring out by the 70th minute, needing to play every three games.”
Next on the agenda for City is a trip to face Aston Villa on Sunday, where Haaland will aim to score in his seventh consecutive Premier League match.
Information from PA and The Associated Press was utilized in this report.