Pep Guardiola, the head coach of Manchester City, praised the performance of Savinho after he described him as the key factor in Manchester City's comeback during the second half of their match against Belgian club Club Brugge, which ended with a 3-1 victory, ensuring their continued participation in the UEFA Champions League.
Manchester City finished the first half trailing by a goal, but Mateo Kovacic scored the equalizer before Joel Ordóñez, Club Brugge's defender, scored an own goal.
Savinho, who came on as a substitute for Ilkay Gündogan at the start of the second half, sealed Manchester City's victory by scoring the third goal.
Guardiola said in comments published on the club's official website: "We were out of the competition, and in those moments, you play with nothing to lose."
He added: "The first half was very dynamic, but we lacked the spark. We’ve supported Savinho all season, and when he plays, he’s been incredible. He changed the course of the match, and after five or ten minutes, he won two or three corner kicks. The crowd reacted, and we had chances."
He continued: "Maybe we felt the pressure. Sometimes when you're ahead by two goals, you fear losing, and when you're trailing by one goal, close to being knocked out of the Champions League, you have nothing to lose."
