Manchester City defender Rico Lewis played the full match and said his confidence had greatly increased.

In Tuesday night's Champions League match, Enzo Maresca's Manchester City displayed extremely high attacking efficiency at the Etihad Stadium, defeating Greek powerhouse AEK Athens 5-1.

21-year-old Manchester City full-back Rico Lewis started and played the full 90 minutes, providing two crucial assists and becoming one of the key contributors to the team's resounding victory.

Lewis delivered a standout performance in this match, providing two precise assists for Phil Foden to score two of his hat-trick goals; Elliott Anderson and Rayan Scherki also contributed goals. Having made only four appearances in all competitions this season, Lewis's excellent performance in this match reaffirmed his worth.

When discussing his performance after the match, the young academy player couldn't hide his excitement: "This is very significant. For me, I obviously haven't had much playing time before. When you're put on the field, you're bound to be eager to perform well, but at that moment I was only thinking about playing my own style, and everything else just fell into place. This has greatly boosted my confidence, and I'm really looking forward to playing more games."

When asked about the pace of the game, Lewis added: "It really helps when you're two or three goals ahead because you can completely relax. When you get a taste of success, you play more calmly on the pitch."

Lewis also spoke about the tactical changes brought about by new coach Maresca: "All the tactical requirements are very clear. When everyone understands the tactical approach and moves in unison, the game becomes a hundred times easier. Even if mistakes are made occasionally, everyone is working in the same direction, and everything is progressing very smoothly so far."

Image source: Internet