Aston Villa eased to a 2-1 victory over Manchester City on Saturday in the Premier League, condemning the reigning Premier League champions to a ninth defeat in 12 matches across all competitions.
Villa struck first in the Midlands through the in-form Jhon Duran, who side-footed the home team ahead at the end of an impressive move. Man City failed to draw level before the half-time whistle following another underwhelming display.
Morgan Rogers doubled the home side’s lead in the 65th minute before Phil Foden scored a late consolation, with Man City stumbling to yet another defeat in the Premier League following last weekend’s Manchester derby nightmare.
How the game unfolded
Aston Villa had two glorious opportunities to take the lead within the first minute as they caught a misfiring Man City cold.
Duran almost capitalised on Josko Gvardiol’s error but saw his effort turned wide by Stefan Ortega, with the German goalkeeper then producing an excellent save to deny Pau Torres from the subsequent corner. The defender’s near-post header came within an inch of crossing the line.
But Ortega was left helpless in the 17th minute as Villa eventually took advantage of their electric start. Youri Tielemans’ sensational defence-splitting pass allowed Morgan Rogers a free run at Ortega, with the forward selflessly teeing up Duran for the opening goal of the game.
Man City continued to dominate possession despite falling behind but struggled to create many significant goalscoring opportunities. Phil Foden provided their most promising moment of the first half, combining well with Rico Lewis before forcing Emiliano Martinez into a low save. Gvardiol came close to an equaliser, too, but couldn’t keep his header down at the near post.
Villa continued to make life incredibly difficult for the Cityzens after the restart and fired them another warning sign on the hour mark. Some neat one-touch passing presented an opportunity to Rogers in the penalty area and he rattled his low drive off the outside of Ortega’s post.
But Man City refused to learn from their mistakes and soon found themselves with a mountain to climb. It was another fantastic breakaway from Villa as Rogers charged 20 yards up the pitch from his own half, eventually playing a one-two with John McGinn before firing beyond Ortega to double Villa’s advantage.
Ollie Watkins could have added some gloss to the scoreline just three minutes after his introduction from the bench, but the striker powered his shot directly at Ortega from just inside the penalty area.
Villa were offered a brief scare in stoppage time as Foden got on the scoresheet, but Man City were unable to provide any further issues for the hosts in the dying embers as they suffered another bruising defeat.
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Man City’s dismal run has been characterised by issues in both boxes. Pep Guardiola’s side have failed to deliver in the opposition penalty area when presented with golden opportunities, but it’s their absent defence that has proved most costly.
Ruben Dias’ absence was always likely to be felt by Man City at Villa Park and that became evident following the home side’s opener. A glaring space in the centre of defence was unlocked by Tielemans’ terrific through ball, with Villa playing through the entirety of the Man City team in just three passes.
There had already been warning signs, too. Another error from the out-of-sorts Gvardiol presented Duran with a wonderful opportunity within the first 20 seconds, with Ortega twice bailing out his defenders in the first minute.
Man City were similarly porous after the half-time whistle. Weak in challenges and frequently beaten by runners, Guardiola’s players were overpowered by the relentless Villa, with their deficiencies at the back once again proving their undoing.
Jack Grealish would have expected the chorus of boos that came his way with each touch as he returned to Villa Park, but the winger’s function as pantomime villain conjured some fire in his belly.
The former Villa star drew four fouls in the first half alone and forced Matty Cash into a yellow card, repeatedly finding space on the left flank and testing the Poland international with his agility and quick feet. He provided Man City’s brightest spark during an opening 45 minutes in which there was little for the visiting fans to roar about.
However, Grealish reverted to the player that has underwhelmed in recent months after the break. Man City were unable to get him involved as Villa moved more bodies to within close proximity of the fleet-footed forward, and he was wasteful on the occasions he did receive possession.
In the end, as it did for Man City, the game petered out for Grealish, who picked up a late yellow card for slicing through former teammate McGinn as he showed his frustrations.
Duran began the season as a super sub but has been offered more regular starts by Unai Emery in recent weeks. The Colombian has delivered in style and scored for the fourth successive match against Man City.
The finish was typically composed and Duran produced a similarly clinical strike just after the half-time whistle only to be denied by the offside flag. It’s clear to see why Chelsea were so interested in the towering striker previously, whose price tag has now risen significantly.
But beyond Duran’s finishing, he produced an excellent all-round centre-forward’s display. He held the ball up expertly when Villa regained possession, drawing fouls and bringing others into play. His remarkable work ethic will have also undoubtedly pleased Emery during another eye-catching display that will have Ollie Watkins concerned.
Tielemans took time to settle at Villa Park but the midfielder has been integral to Emery’s system this season. He’s been a mainstay for the Villans in both the Premier League and Champions League, providing a balance of defensive rigidity and attacking spark.
It was the latter that was on full show against Man City. The Belgian orchestrated Villa’s direct counter-attacks, dazzling with his array of short and long passes. An absolute peach forged the opening goal of the game, with Tielemans picking out Rogers in style following a pinpoint through ball.
There were plenty of other moments on the highlight reel. He frequently collected the ball on the half-turn before releasing runners and continued to garner attention for his impressive distribution. Duran and Rogers may steal the headlines, but Tielemans’ work made Villa’s victory possible.