Haaland scores again as Man City end winless away run

Erling Haaland found the net for a 12th consecutive game to extend his incredible scoring streak and help Manchester City end their winless away run in the Champions League with victory at Villarreal.

Haaland's blistering form has brought 24 goals in 14 games for club and country this season, and here it helped City claim three points on the road in Europe for the first time in over a year.

The Norwegian's goal to open the scoring was that of a striker with deadly instincts, darting ahead of marker Juan Foyth and converting with a first-time finish from Rico Lewis' low cross.

City had opportunities from the off - Haaland headed wide inside two minutes and Jeremy Doku tested Luiz Junior within the first few seconds with a low strike that the home goalkeeper batted away.

Pep Guardiola's side dominated the first half and captain Bernardo Silva deservedly doubled the advantage before half-time, planting a free header into the net from Savinho's cross.

Villarreal attempted to get back into the game in the second half as Pape Gueye stung the palms of Gianluigi Donnarumma and former Chelsea defender Renato Veiga headed against the post late on, but City were victorious.

"Last season was not good," City manager Guardiola told TNT Sport.

"Our numbers in the Champions League in the last year are not bad. Personally my numbers are not bad, but last season was tough for us. The vibe and how the team are playing now make me feel fine."

Analysis: Man City building up momentum

Tuesday's triumph at Villarreal extended City's unbeaten run in all competitions to nine games and they are well placed in fifth position in the group phase of the Champions League, winning two and drawing the other of their three matches.

They are already showing an improvement on their performance last season when they finished in 22nd place to go into the play-offs, where they were knocked out by Real Madrid.

They will face La Liga giants Real on their next European away trip in December and will be lifted by having ended a run of five without victory away from home in the competition.

City's previous Champions League win outside Manchester came on 1 October 2024 with their 4-0 thrashing of Slovan Bratislava, and they never looked in any trouble against Villarreal.

The early chances set the tempo and scoring two goals in the first half allowed City to control and see out the contest in the second period, showcasing their growing confidence.

Ruthless striker Haaland loves scoring goals against any team but particularly enjoys facing Spanish opposition, having now netted nine goals in as many games against opponents from La Liga.

Guardiola continues to take pleasure in playing Villarreal too as he has never tasted defeat against them in nine meetings.

"[This is] a tough place to come," said Guardiola. "We played really good. At the end they had one or two chances, but we played a fantastic game.

"It is a good step for us in this tournament."

One concern will be an apparent injury to midfielder Nico Gonzalez, who has been playing in the absence of Rodri but hobbled off just short of the hour mark.

Analysis: Yellow Submarine sunk by City

With a population of around 50,000, Villarreal have been punching above their weight by regularly finishing in the top 10 in La Liga over the course of the last two decades.

Both Villarreal and City supporters will have enjoyed the Spanish side's Europa League final victory on penalties over Manchester United in 2021, their biggest trophy win to date.

Marcelino's side currently lie third in the Spanish division behind giants Real Madrid and Barcelona, but were made to look ordinary for the most part by an in-form City.

They called Donnarumma into action in the second half and also struck the woodwork but now have work to do if they are to progress in this competition, having failed to win any of their first three games.

"The first half was not what we want to or hoped to," said head coach Marcelino. "Even after the first minute they had a chance and that generated doubt in our team. We doubted everything, with and without the ball.

"We were not reactive and were all in similar positions and then had punctual errors. We could have done something else for the first goal and a big mistake from us for the second.

"We were playing quite a good few minutes, kept the ball and playing in the opposition half, but the second goal really hurt us.

"I am proud of the reaction in the second half. We could have been fearful against a great team, ,but we were much more reactive and created chances to score and add more excitement to the game."

What next for these two sides?

Villarreal: Marcelino's men return to La Liga action on Saturday with a short trip to Valencia (kick-off 20:00 BST).

Manchester City: Pep Guardiola's men also have an away trip in the Premier League to Aston Villa on Sunday (14:00).