Manchester City Players 'Underperformed,' Pep Guardiola Says After His Side's 5-0 Win

Pep Guardiola said Manchester City players "underperformed" in their 5-0 win over Sporting in the Champions League on Tuesday.

With the massive lead after their Round of 16's first leg, Man City now have more or less sealed a place in the quarter-finals.

While Portuguese champions Sporting have the best defense in the Primeira Liga this season, City netted four goals before the half-time break at the Estádio José Alvalade.

When Man City boss Guardiola was asked whether it was a perfect performance, the Spanish coach replied, "No. Some players underperformed and we lost easy balls, but we were so clinical. We saw in the first five or six minutes how good Sporting are."

"The difference between the two teams is not 5-0 but we were so clinical. We punished them. There is one rule in football when you have the ball and that's not to lose it. We had some simple passes that we lost. Against the top sides in Europe, we would be punished. It is a fantastic team. They are the champions of Portugal. They have incredible runners. They have a good team but I am very pleased because we make a big step towards the next round," said Guardiola in a post-match interview, Sports Illustrated reported.

Riyad Mahrez took just seven minutes from kick-off to put Man City 1-0 up against Sporting. The goal was initially disallowed because the referee thought Kevin de Bruyne had strayed offside in the build-up. However, after a lengthy VAR check, Mahrez was awarded the goal, his sixth in the Champions League this season.

A few minutes later, in-form Bernardo Silva doubled Man City's lead. Phil Foden netted City's third goal in the 32nd minute before Silva scored his brace. The Portuguese forward has now netted 10 goals for City in the 2021-22 season.

Raheem Sterling scored City's fifth goal in the second half.

The win also saw Man City become the 14th team to score 200 goals in the Champions League. The Etihad side has taken only 97 games to reach the milestone, fewer than any of the other 13 teams in the competition, according to Opta Joe.

City, who are yet to win the Champions League, are in incredible form in the ongoing term. Guardiola's side is unbeaten in as many as 13 matches, out of which, they have won 12 and drawn one, which was against Southampton in the Premier League.