Pep Guardiola says Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne are perfect for each other after their starring roles in the 6-2 win over Luton Town.

Haaland scored five goals to equal a Club record for most goals in an FA Cup tie with the first four all coming from De Bruyne assists as we made it through to the sixth round for the seventh time in eight attempts under Guardiola.

The pair have now combined 16 times as supplier and finisher but Guardiola also pointed out the ability of their team-mates to stretch the Hatters and create the opportunity for the City duo.

“I think Erling needs a guy with the vision, the quality and generosity,” said Guardiola, adding: “Kevin is a less selfish player in front of the goal, and if he could have helped him score another one, he would do it.

“And Kevin needs the movement from Erling but of course we know how aggressive they are. Stefan [Ortega Moreno] was amazing with the long passes – not just for Erling – to the players in between.

“As much as we can we make every player has three or four touches and we can make extra passes and move the structure that they have and they did it really well.”

De Bruyne has now assisted Haaland 16 times across all competitions since the start of the 2022-23 season. That is more than any player in the five top European leagues has teed up a team-mate in that time period.

Their tally is three better than the next best – Lionel Messi to Kylian Mbappe – and six better than the next currently active partnership in Europe – Darwin Nunez to Mohamed Salah. Haaland also has an excellent relationship with Phil Foden, with the pair assisting each other five times.