It was a fantastic result but we can do better, asserts Pep Guardiola
Pep Guardiola has praised his players for being clinical throughout their game in the Champions League although he admitted that some players did not read the game well and insisted his side could do much better. Manchester City beat Sporting 5-0 in the first leg of the Round of 16 on Tuesday.
Manchester City produced a rampant first-half display at the Jose Alvalade Stadium as they thwarted Sporting Lisbon in the first leg of a Champions League knockout game. Riyad Mahrez finished emphatically following a cut-back pass from Kevin De Bruyne in the 7th minute to give Manchester City the lead. VAR overturned the initial decision to rule the goal out for offside following a lengthy check.Â
Bernardo Silva then doubled the away side's lead with a stunning finish which hit the net after hitting the crossbar from a corner in the 17th minute. Some poor defending from the home side allowed Phil Foden to fire home in the 32nd minute after Mahrez produced a beautiful low cross.
Silva then added his second as he fired past the keeper with the help of a deflection in the 44th minute. City became the first side in the competition's history to lead by four goals at the halfway point of a knockout game in the European competition.Â
Raheem Sterling then completed the English side's rout as he scored a stunning goal from outside the box in the 58th minute. City manager Guardiola was impressed by his side's performance although he insisted his side could do better.
"Today we were so clinical. Every time we arrive in the first 20 minutes, we score. We saw in the first five, six or seven minutes how dangerous they were. The difference between the sides is not 5-0. But up front we were so clinical. The players they know me. They know that we can do better,” Guardiola told BT Sport.
“There were a few players who still didn't read well what we have to do in terms of build-up. We can do better. It is just a game and a fantastic result," he added.