Niko Kovac described Borussia Dortmund's 4-1 Champions League defeat at Manchester City as a "learning experience" for his side.

Phil Foden was in fine form with a sublime brace that sandwiched Erling Haaland scoring against his former employers to leave City three goals to the good at Etihad Stadium.

Waldemar Anton reduced the deficit in the 72nd minute to offer brief hope of a grandstand finish against Pep Guardiola's heavyweights.

But Rayan Cherki scored in injury time to restore the three-goal lead and see out an ultimately comfortable victory for the hosts.

It means Dortmund have now lost seven of their last eight Champions League games away to English Premier League clubs, conceding at least twice in all seven of those losses.

Dortmund head coach Kovac felt the outcome could have been different had Dortmund been more clinical when their chances arrived, though.

Speaking to TNT Sports, he said: "We saw that City are a fantastic team. 

"I think we started very well, the first fifteen minutes. We had possession and control of the game, but during the first half, they increased the speed, and you saw the quality.

"You can't make any mistakes against these top players. We should be better, but it's a learning experience for us. We're here to learn, but also congratulations to City. 

"We knew City are a top team, and it's hard to get any opportunities to score against them. When you get these opportunities, you must be very accurate. 

"That was the difference between the sides. They had the same moments; Foden scored two goals. We had some good moments, but we need to continue the process."

Defeat leaves Dortmund 14th in the league phase of the competition, while City are fourth with 10 points from their opening four matches.