Villarreal, Oct 22 (NationPress) A stellar performance from Erling Haaland and Bernardo Silva saw Manchester City clinch a 2-0 victory in the Champions League against Villarreal, with both goals scored in the first half.

Demonstrating a controlled and polished display, Pep Guardiola’s team continues to shine this season. This triumph on Spanish turf helps City maintain pace with the early leaders in the league, while also extending their unbeaten streak across all competitions to nine matches.

The win propelled City to fifth place in the Champions League group stage standings.

With seven points gathered from three matches and a goal difference of +4, the Blues are in a strong position.

Upcoming home matches against German teams Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen in November further bolster their standing.

City dominated right from the start. A combination of Savinho and Haaland led to a low shot from Jeremy Doku, which felt like an early missed opportunity within the first minute.

Exhibiting composure, City controlled much of the game, leaving their opponents with mere scraps, making the opening goal in the 17th minute unsurprising.

Savinho expertly found Rico Lewis, whose clever cutback was met perfectly by Haaland, slotting in his 24th goal for club and country this season, giving Villarreal's keeper no chance.

While Villarreal’s Gueye nearly equalized with a powerful shot just wide, it would have felt unjust.

City's second goal came from Bernardo, who timed his run onto Savinho’s cross to head home from eight yards just five minutes before halftime, giving the game a more realistic scoreline.

Haaland came close to increasing his tally further in the closing moments, only to be thwarted by a brilliant save from Luiz Junior.

Despite half-chances for both sides, City thoroughly deserved this victory against a Villarreal team that was sitting third in La Liga and had not lost at home in over seven months.