A brace from striker Lois Openda had the visitors two up at half-time before strikes from Erling Haaland, Phil Foden and Julian Alvarez maintained our 100% record in this year’s Champions League.
The victory – our 19th successive unbeaten match in Europe - also sealed top spot in Group G and ensured we’ll play the second leg of our Round of 16 tie at the Etihad Stadium in the new year.
Match report | City 3-2 RB Leipzig
Guardiola was pleased that his side have finished the job in the group stages with a game to spare but warned his players they can’t repeat the errors that saw us fall behind on the night.
“If you talk about qualification, then it’s a great night. 15 [points] from 15,” he said.
“If you talk about the game, we could do better, sloppy goals. In football you have to win duels and it was quite similar against Chelsea. We were solid and now [not].
“We’ve had two warnings already. But it’s the same up front. We had chances and we miss it. Maybe for the future it’s good to win that way, not comfortably to realise and to look in the mirror and we have to do better.
“But we’re there in February, top of the group. I don’t know who we will face but the second leg will be here. We showed again we are able to make a comeback.
“We scored early in the second half and it’s a long 45 minutes for the opposition.”
While City have developed a reputation for dramatic comebacks in the Premier League, this was the first time we have ever recovered a two-goal deficit in the Champions League.
On the six previous occasions we have been two goals behind, we have gone on to lose.
While the momentum shifted with Haaland’s goal in the 54th minute, Guardiola admits he was not entirely confident would complete the turnaround.
“I was not sure. The way we played in the first half I was not sure,” he stated.
“Not because we are City and the last Champions League winner, you can’t take it for granted, you have to earn it and do it.
“The first half was not [good] even some moments in the second half. There are moments you have to be better. We will learn hopefully.”
