What Savinho did before Man City goals points to Pep Guardiola prediction

Manchester City returned to winning ways in the Champions League with a 2-0 win over Villarreal

Manchester City answered one question and raised another with a convincing Champions League win in Villarreal.

A night on the carousel for their opponents, with Pep Guardiola's side completing 200 passes inside the opening 25 minutes, confirmed that rumours of the demise of their playing style have been greatly exaggerated. What happened at Arsenal cannot be changed, but it did not in fact signal the monumental change to the manager's philosophy that had begun to be suggested.

Guardiola may have been impressed with the gritty side they showed at the Emirates last month but that will pale in comparison to the joy to be found in Erling Haaland's opening goal.

It wasn't just about the slick play from Savinho and Rico Lewis to find a perfect run from the Norwegian goal machine, but the patience that brought it. Pass after pass went in triangles and squares on the right-hand side of the pitch with John Stones and Matheus Nunes, before the accelerator was pressed and Villarreal were left chasing shadows.

A lead was no more than City deserved after an excellent start that had already seen Haaland and Jeremy Doku miss decent chances, but the Blues only had to think back to Monaco to remember what can happen in the Champions League when you don't take your chances.

If Savinho had shown excellent composure before the opening goal, he was as good for the second just before the break. With the yellow shirts not getting close enough, the Brazilian picked his moment perfectly to curl in a cross for Bernardo Silva to thump home City's first goal not scored by Haaland for nearly a month.

Villarreal had been growing into the game as the half went on, but that goal pushed them further out of it. It was exactly the sort of moment that changes Champions League games, and Savinho's improvement has the chance to change expectations of City.

Guardiola has long predicted that the 21-year-old will improve his decision-making in the final third and here, like Jeremy Doku in September, there was real evidence that the potential is there. Luiz Junior in the Villarreal net stopped a fine jinking run ending in a goal to add to his assist, but this was still one of Savinho's best nights in a City shirt.

That he and Rico Lewis were two of the game's best players also served to ease the pre-match nerves of supporters who gulped when they saw both Phil Foden and Tijjani Reijnders rested on the bench. Guardiola made four changes from the win over Everton and previous attempts to change up the selection have only served to expose the fragile nature of City since their problems first began a year ago.

The way City reigned in Spain adds to the intrigue of how high their ceiling can be as well as raising their floor well above the miserable depths they plummeted to last season. Seven wins and two draws from their last nine games, with the squad looking the strongest it has done in a long time.

Guardiola will head to Villa Park on Sunday with confidence as City continue to grow.

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