With a loss and a draw already on their UCL record in 2025/26, it was clear that Marcelino's side needed a victory to lift them out of the bottom section of the league table, whilst a win for City would cement their place in the upper section.
Haaland on fire this season
The previous meeting between the sides came way back in November 2011, and on that occassion the Premier League club eased to a 3-0 victory.
Coming into the match in fine form, the visitors had scored in each of their last nine matches in all competitions.
Star striker, Erling Haaland, remained the man to watch having found the net three times already in the Champions League this season, as well as another 11 scored in the English top-flight and nine more for Norway.
Having started the Spanish season well - Villarreal are currently third, only behind Real Madrid and Barcelona - there was every reason to think that the Yellow Submarine would provide a tough test for their opponents.
City captain, Bernardo Silva, was handed a 66th start in the competition, which took him one clear of Kevin de Bruyne for the most UCL appearances of any outfield player for the club, and whilst Rodri wasn't available against his old club, they took time to honour him before the kick-off.
Fast start from City
The Cityzens certainly came out of the blocks quicker than their opponents, almost scoring in the first 30 seconds and firing off three shots in the opening eight minutes as a signal of their intent.
With 67.4% of possession in the opening 15 minutes, Guardiola's side were leading Villarreal a merry dance, to the extent that Georges Mikautadze, joint top scorer in the competition for his side, was still awaiting his first touch.
Shortly after, a break down the hosts' left side ended with Rico Lewis supplying his first assist of the competition to Haaland, who finished emphatically past Luiz Junior and giving him a 53rd goal in 51 UCL games.
Villarreal had a couple of cursory chances through Papa Gueye and Santi Comesanya, but City were coasting in truth.
To give context to just how comfortable the visitors were in the opening half hour particularly, Ruben Dias had completed all 55 of his passes, which was more than three times any Villarreal player had managed to that point (Gueye - 18).
Silva on target in record-breaking appearance
It was therefore little surprise when Silva bagged a second from Savinho's cross, for his first goal in the competition since the game against Real Madrid in April 2024 and his first group stage/league phase goal since October 2018 against Shakhtar Donetsk - each of his last 11 goals in the competition had come in the knockout stage.
Despite completing only two passes in the first half, Mikautadze wasn't hooked until the 66th minute, by which time he'd touched the ball a pathetic 11 times, less than any other starter in the match.
The second half began at a much more leisurely pace and for the first 15 minutes after the break, neither side had a shot at goal. That might go some way to explaining Marcelino's ire and the yellow card received by the Villarreal coach.
Villarreal rallied briefly
Five unanswered shots in three minutes briefly saw the hosts rally and the atmosphere at the Estadio de la Ceramica ramp up a few decibels; however, that's as good as it got for the hosts.
With 20 minutes still to play, only Santiago Mourino was offering anything remotely approaching what might be considered a defensively minded performance.
The 23-year-old was involved in 18 one-on-one duels with City players, at least nine more than any of his colleagues, winning 10 of them, whilst winning possession back on six occasions and also winning four of the six tackles he attempted in the game.
Unfortunately, none of his teammates appeared to be on the same page and as such, his one-man attempt at pushing back the City tide was never going to be enough.
Six games without a UCL win for Yellow Submarine
With only Jeremy Doku dropping below 80% pass completion from City's starting XI, and Savinho creating the most chances (three) as well as completing the most dribbles (four), this match really was a lot more comfortable than the scoreline would suggest.
Tani Oluwaseyi's effort against the woodwork in the 89th minute could've handed Villarreal a late consolation, though one could hardly say it would've been deserved given the Yellow Submarine's lacklustre all-round performance.
A performance which ensured that Villarreal have failed to win their last six games in the Champions League, which is a record that they'll be hoping isn't extended in their next game against Pafos.
