Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola knew their Champions League quarter final against Borussia Dortmund would be no walk in the park, despite the recent form of both clubs, so he was pleased to come out of Tuesday’s first leg with a 2-1 advantage.

City went ahead in the first half through Kevin de Bruyne before Marco Reus scored an 84th minute equaliser, but Phil Foden grabbed a last-minute winner to tip the balance in favour of the Premier League leaders.

Guardiola’s side lacked their usual sharpness in the final third but the Spaniard said his team had to deal with a huge burden of expectation thanks to their red-hot form coming into the match and Dortmund’s struggles in the Bundesliga.

“When you win 26 games in 27 and they are not winning the Bundesliga, the pressure is on our shoulders,” he said.

“Everything is guaranteed for us. Everybody believed we would win. We had an incredible desire to go through.”

Dortmund, who host the return leg next Wednesday, have seen their title hopes vanish and now look unlikely to grab a place in the top four, while City are looking to complete a quadruple.

Guardiola hailed the performance of 20-year-old Foden, who looked a real danger towards the end of the contest.

“Phil was brilliant in his aggression in the last 30 minutes, he was our threat,” Guardiola said.

Reus confident

Dortmund’s loss may have stretched their winless run to three matches in all competitions but for scorer and captain Reus, the tie is still wide open.

“Had we returned home with a 1-1 then everyone would have been satisfied,” Reus said. “Now the feeling is not that good for us although we did a lot of things right.”

Dortmund could miss out on next season’s Champions League after dropping seven points off fourth place in the Bundesliga.

But success in Europe, especially against City, would go a long way towards rebuilding confidence in the team while also restoring ties with fans, fuming over top striker Erling Haaland’s representatives meeting with several top European clubs, while the team struggles for form.

“Obviously this was a clear step forward for us,” said Reus ahead of next week’s return leg. “The chances to qualify are all there. We have to do it well in the return leg.”