Leroy Sané scored both goals as the Group F winners cruised to a fourth victory but for the second game in a row a Manchester City player seemed to be singled out by opposing fans and this time it was the German.

The 22-year-old appeared to receive some heightened abuse from Hoffenheim fans when taking a first-half corner. After what happened to Raheem Sterling at Chelsea on Saturday – four home fans have been suspended pending a club and police investigation into alleged racial invective – Guardiola was asked about the incident involving his match-winner.

Manchester United miss group chance after Spanish lesson at Valencia Read more

The City manager said: “You have to fight for human rights and democracy of the human being but I don’t know if anything happened. If it happened, it’s bad news but I don’t know. If it happened, it’s not nice and Uefa will take a look at that. I have nothing to add.”

Sterling, meanwhile, was among City’s standout players, offering a display of pace and intent. “It was unfortunate the finishing and last pass not the best, but he will get more mature,” his manager said.

Sterling and City are formidable enough at present and none of their four possible opponents in Monday’s draw – Ajax, Roma, Schalke and Atlético Madrid – would pick a trip to the Etihad if they had a choice.

Guardiola, with Kevin De Bruyne, Sergio Agüero and Benjamin Mendy all once again unavailable, made five changes to the team that lost at Chelsea. Out went the injured David Silva and Fernandinho, plus Riyad Mahrez, Kyle Walker and Fabian Delph, who were all on the bench. Ilkay Gündogan, Nicolás Otamendi, Phil Foden, Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko came into the side.

Hoffenheim, needing a victory here and a defeat for Shakhtar Donetsk at home to Lyon if they were to reach the Europa League, had the 19-year-old Arsenal loanee Reiss Nelson on the bench. Julian Nagelsmann’s side had taken the lead in the first minute in October’s meeting and again began brightly, with Leonardo Bittencourt stealing a loose Otamendi pass, and were ahead just after the quarter-hour.

Aymeric Laporte pulled Benjamin Hübner down and the referee, Andreas Ekberg of Sweden, pointed to the penalty spot. Up stepped Andrej Kramaric and he gave Ederson little chance.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Andrej Kramaric slots the ball past Manchester City’s goalkeeper Ederson to open the scoring from the penalty spot. Photograph: Andrew Yates/Reuters

City almost equalised immediately but Jesus’s header from a corner came back off Oliver Baumann’s left post. The visiting keeper then saved his side again with a fine stop low down from a John Stones header.

City, as is their way, hogged the ball and searched for the quick passes and movement that undo sides. Foden’s brain and feet impressed; he played a neat one-two with Sterling that came close to unpicking Hoffenheim. Otamendi then found the woodwork, heading off the bar from a Gündogan free-kick.

As the half wound down, Jesus was left stricken following a Kasim Nuhu challenge and City were soon level: Sané curved a peach of a 20-yard free-kick over the wall and past Baumann.

For the second half Kyle Walker replaced Stones, while Hoffenheim brought on Nelson for Joshua Brenet. Within seconds Guardiola was berating his team, as if his interval instructions had already been forgotten.

Sign up for the Fiver.

When Laporte hit a regulation pass aimed at Zinchenko to a maroon shirt Guardiola shook his head once more. Better came from Sterling’s muscular run that eventually led to Jesus slipping in and shooting, winning a corner, but Otamendi was unable to finish from Sané’s delivery.

City were becoming too elaborate. When they broke after a Hoffenheim corner Sterling had only Baumann in front of him. Yet he passed to Sané, who then moved the ball on to Silva, before it was somehow cleared for a corner. Sterling or Sané really should have buried the chance.

Profligacy was contagious: Nelson spurned a gilded chance to put Hoffenheim back in front and Julian Nagelsmann was incandescent. Soon, though, City were ahead when Sané exchanged passes with Sterling and slotted home.

Ederson had to save Nico Schulz’s 30-yard drive but with the savvy Delph on for Zinchenko the visitors found it even more difficult to break through. Foden saw a spectacular volley saved by Baumann but he, like the team, ended feeling only satisfaction. Guardiola said of Foden: “He looks skinny, not strong, but he’s really, really strong. He’s an outstanding young player. I think England has a diamond.”