‘Dangerous player’ – Pep Guardiola praises Arsenal flop after Manchester City beat Villarreal

Villarreal CF v Manchester City - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD3
Nicolas Pepe impressed Pep Guardiola with his performance against Manchester City (Picture: Getty)

Pep Guardiola was full of praise for Nicolas Pepe following Manchester City’s 2-0 victory over Villarreal, saying there is a reason Arsenal ‘paid the amount of money’ they did for the winger.

Erling Haaland scored his 15th goal of the season to get City off to a perfect start in Wednesday’s Champions League clash, hammering home Rico Lewis’ low cross to break the deadlock in the 17th minute.

The visitors doubled their advantage shortly before half-time through Bernardo Silva and Lewis was again the provider, finding the midfielder with an exquisite dinked ball from the right flank.

Pepe had a glorious chance to half the deficit in the 77th minute, only to fire his volleyed effort over the crossbar by a distance with a wild swing of his left boot.

Haaland was twice denied by Luiz Junior in the closing stages before Tani Oluwaseyi headed Villarreal’s best opportunity of the group-stage contest against the upright at the death.

Get personalised updates on Arsenal everyday

Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro’s Football Newsletter.

Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link we’ll send you so we can get football news tailored to you.

The result means City remain unbeaten in Europe’s premier competition this season, with Guardiola’s men edging out Napoli and drawing with Monaco in their two previous encounters.

The 2023 winners will look to continue their strong start when they return to Champions League action at home to Borussia Dortmund in a fortnight’s time.

FBL-EUR-C1-VILLARREAL-MANCHESTER CITY
Pepe was on the losing side at the Estadio de la Ceramica (Picture: Getty)
Bernardo Silva (Manchester City) celebrates a goal during
City extended their unbeaten start in Europe’s premier competition (Picture: Getty)

‘We played well, very well, especially in the first half. We dominated in ball control and kept the opponent under pressure’ Guardiola said of his side’s efforts at the Estadio de la Ceramica.

‘In the 20 minutes of the second half, Villarreal played more actively, but overall, the situation is good.

‘We scored at the right time so the result is satisfactory.

‘I’m in a good mood, I’m satisfied with everything.’

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web
browser that
supports HTML5
video

Up Next

Though lively and dangerous in spells, Pepe was ultimately unable to have a meaningful impact on the night following an eye-catching start to the campaign with Villarreal.

The ex-Arsenal attacker – the Gunners’ then record signing in 2019 – was named La Liga’s Player of the Month for August, with Villarreal sitting third in the Spanish top flight.

‘Ah, he’s really good,’ Guardiola said of Pepe.

‘It was a long time ago when he was playing at Arsenal and I’m happy that he’s playing here [at Villarreal].

Villarreal CF v Manchester City - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD3
Haaland took his tally for the season to 15 in the win (Picture: Getty)

‘I’m pretty sure when Arsenal paid the amount of money they paid it’s because he’s a really good player, otherwise that wouldn’t have happened.

‘He’s a dangerous player in the final third, one-vs-one.

‘Jeremy [Doku] and Bernardo defended against him really well.’

Villarreal CF v Manchester City - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD3
Lewis assisted both goals in City’s victory (Picture: Getty)

Lewis came away with the man-of-the-match award after providing two assists in City’s win – and Guardiola reserved special praise for the England international in his post-match press conference.

‘I adore that player,’ the City head coach told reporters.

‘He is so intelligent in small spaces. Maybe man-marking and more duels he struggles a little bit more, but when teams like Villarreal do zonal marking exceptionally, you need a top player like Rico who moves well in that position.

Villarreal CF v Manchester City - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD3
Guardiola’s side take on Aston Villa in the league this weekend (Picture: Getty)

‘Rico is a top class player when you have to play in that way. We need fresh legs. We play Saturday, Tuesday and travel.

‘I think Bernardo was fresher,  but we dropped in the second half because we didn’t read it well what we had to do.

‘I know exactly about what a team Villarreal is. I am really pleased with the performance and the victory.’

Asked for an update on Nico Gonzalez’s injury in the second half, Guardiola explained: ‘Nico has a knock in his foot. We will see [if it is serious].’

City, who are riding a three-match winning streak in all competitions, will look to pick up where they left off away to Aston Villa this weekend.

Guardiola’s side – who sit second behind Premier League leaders Arsenal – slumped to a 2-1 defeat in the same fixture last season

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on FacebookTwitter and Instagram.

(Visited 1 times, 1 visits today)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *