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Manchester City beat Villarreal 2-0 in the Champions League as Erling Haaland continued his own remarkable record in front of goal.
Manchester City extended their unbeaten run to nine games in all competitions after they beat Villarreal 2-0 in the Champions League.
The Blues cruised past the La Liga side at El Madrigal with Erling Haaland and Bernardo Silva scoring in the first half to continue their impressive run of form in recent weeks.
Haaland scored in a 12th successive game for club and country as he fired home from a low Rico Lewis cross, before the impressive Savinho whipped in a cross for captain Silva to head in.
The only sour note for City was an injury to midfielder Nico Gonzalez, who hobbled off just before the hour mark.
Lewis gets central chance
It's been a frustrating couple of months for Rico Lewis since he signed his five-year contract. Having started the opening two Premier League games of the season, his only start since than was at Huddersfield in the Carabao Cup, so he would have been desperate for the chance to impress against Villarreal.
Even more so as the opportunity came in midfield. Lewis wants to play there, even if most of his first-team action comes at right-back. With John Stones pushing into midfield and Nico Gonzalez also starting, the academy graduate had licence to roam.
He grasped his chance as well. Lewis linked well with Savinho down the right and saw plenty of the ball. He also created the first goal, which was superbly worked.
City showed patience in possession against a deep defence, with Stones and Savinho exchanging numerous passes before the Brazilian spotted Lewis' run into the penalty area. He took a touch and dug out a low cross to Haaland, who was never going to miss.
Lewis faces plenty of competition for a midfield role, but this was a reminder that when City are on top and enjoying plenty of possession, he has plenty to offer centrally. With Tijjani Reijnders rested, Lewis staked his claim for that position.
Haaland streak ends
When Haaland timed his run perfectly to edge ahead of Juan Foyth and turn Lewis' low cross home, it continued several remarkable streaks for the Norwegian.
It took him to 24 goals in 14 games this season and means he has now scored in 12 successive matches for club and country. It was also the eighth successive City goal scored by Haaland.
That kind of reliance on a goalscorer isn't much of an issue when he scores at this rate. He had actually been profligate until then. He passed to Savinho in the first 30 seconds when taking on a shot was the better option, and then sent a free header wide when he should have tested the goalkeeper at least.
That pattern was never going to hold and sure enough, Haaland was soon on the scoresheet. The even better news was that Silva followed him onto it, ending a run of just over five-and-a-half hours since anyone else bar Haaland had scored for City.
Respect for Rodri
Rodri might be getting used to on-pitch ceremonies, having had quite the welcome at the Etihad last year when he was honoured for winning the Ballon d'Or.
The 29-year-old is absent at the moment, having picked up a hamstring injury against Brentford. His fitness issues continue after his serious knee injury 13 months ago, but he is still held in high esteem not only at the Etihad but also back at Villarreal.
Rodri came through the academy at the La Liga club and played 84 times before moving to Atletico Madrid and then the Etihad. What he has since gone on to achieve, both for City and for Spain, means he is still thought of very fondly in this part of Spain.
On Tuesday, he was inducted into Villarreal's hall of fame earlier in the day and then given a plaque commemorating his time at the club on the pitch shortly before kick-off at El Madrigal. The locals sang his name, making the journey worth waiting for the midfielder.
Nunes impresses
Matheus Nunes hasn't always been convincing as a defensive right-back, but this was a solid performance from the Portuguese, and he has shown signs of improvement in recent weeks.
He defended confidently in Spain and was sharp from the start. When the game was still goalless, Villarreal threatened a break, and Georges Mikautadze ran in behind and across goal to get in, only for Nunes to track his run from right back and then use his strength to unsettle the Georgian.
A few minutes later, Nunes read the game well to intercept a pass and beat Alfonso Pedraza to the ball, earning the left-back a booking that hindered his ability to stop Savinho.
The stats certainly spoke well for Nunes. He completed 97 of his 99 passes, of which 11 were into the final third, and won four of his five duels while recovering possession three times. That is a very impressive contribution.
Rotation calls
The games are starting to come thick and fast for City and there is only one more international pause before we get to the unrelenting heart of the season, that spell between November and March when the schedule really is non-stop.
Guardiola will want his players fresh for those demands if they are to achieve his aims of being in a position to challenge for the big competitions come springtime.
So rotation is going to be essential, and City have the squad depth to achieve that this season. The changes here - aside from returning Nathan Ake to the bench - all made sense from a rotation point of view.
Reijnders is the second most-used player in the squad, only four minutes behind Haaland before this game, and was due a rest, having played at Huddersfield when the Norwegian got the night off.
Nico O'Reilly and Phil Foden sat fourth and fifth on that list but they were the only two players to have started eight consecutive games before the trip to Spain, so they were probably in need of a rest.
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