Aston Villa v Man City LIVE: Premier League result and final score as City’s miserable run continues

An obsessive Spanish manager had taken his adopted club to rare heights. Then came a chastening spell of 11 games, littered with setbacks, sending his team tumbling down the table, bringing their ambitions into question. But this victory was emphatic and impressive, offering relief and respite. A slump may be over.

But not for Pep Guardiola. Because, for Unai Emery and Aston Villa, Manchester City came to town. They were duly and deservedly beaten.

Guardiola spent the first half gesturing histrionically, the second with his hands in his pockets, a man resigned to his fate.

This feels the complete breakdown of an all-conquering team.

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery on ‘fantastic’ Morgan Rogers as the 22-year-old shone against Manchester City.

“He played fantastic today, he is very important. Through him we are getting the performance back because he links strikers with midfielder and wingers.

“Today he was fantastic in the second half, connecting with strikers and scoring the goals. He has to add goals to his numbers, and today he was fantastic.”

Aston Villa goalscorer Morgan Rogers reacts after his team’s victory over Manchester City:

"We knew it was going to be difficult. They have not had results, but we knew they were going to come firing,” he told TNT Sports.

"We knew we needed a reaction in the same way as they did. To a man I thought we were outstanding and I think we deserved the win.

"I try to thrive in big games and I want to show what I am about - it is nice to perform in the big games.

It felt tougher than it probably looked. They make you work and it is so demanding out of possession.

"We knew we had to be on it from start to finish. On the counter-attack we were good and that’s probably why we won the game."

"I would say I'm not in the right moment to make tactical and creative changes with some players and where they are at. There is a moment where I cannot overthink things right now. I try to be simple, go to the principles to give certainty to the team and the players of what they can do offensively and defensively. This is one of the points. He can't because he said in the last 10 minutes again he had the disturbance that he had in the last month."

Jack Grealish held up three fingers to goading Aston Villa supporters as the Manchester City winger had an afternoon to forget on his return to Villa Park.

Starting against his boyhood club away from home for the first time since his £100m move to the Etihad, Grealish was on the end of a 2-1 defeat as City’s miserable run of form continued.

The England international helped Villa to promotion back to the Premier League in 2019 but was booed on every touch as he saw plenty of the ball during the first half.

Pep Guardiola responds to Erling Haaland’s comments after the Man City striker said he has not been good enough.

“I don't agree with him. Without him he would be even worse but I like players to be that way. It's the only chance we have to get better.

“There are two options: like I judge myself, the only other situation is blame your side. That depends on them.

“I don't agree with Erling because he tried and he needs to be delivered the right balls in the right spots but now we recover and we fight for the next one.”

Erling Haaland, who now has just one goal in his last six games for Manchester City,  speaking to TNT Sports:

“We have to continue working. The first thing I am looking at is myself, I have not been doing things good enough, have not been scoring my chances and everything. I have to be better. It’s a lot on me and I’ve not been good enough

“Of course it’s not the best. We know how important confidence is. You can see it. It affects every human being, these kind of things. That’s how it is. We have to continue. We have to stay positive even though it is difficult. We have to keep working hard.”

On Pep Guardiola

“He’s won the Premier League six times in seven years. We can never forget that. He will find the solutions. He’s been doing that every year, apart from one. We still believe in him and we have to work harder than ever right now “

Pep Guardiola speaking to TNT Sports.

“We made a good first half, we caused problems but made some mistakes. Second half we dropped. We changed our pressing when John [Stones] couldn’t continue and we weren’t as good. Congratulations to Aston Villa. We keep going.

“I would not say no. In the mid-block they are so strong. They are physical with Onana and Kamara. We had good moments. Not big chances but more than against United [last weekend].

“The second half we dropped. Our pressing was not effective in our right side and we struggled a little bit. We found a goal at the end but it was too late. We struggle to score and we concede goals.

“I have to find the answers. We have to get players back. Sooner or later we are going to find it.”

It gets a bit tense at the end when Guardiola is asked if he will try anything different to improve Man City’s form. “Back my players,” he says.

Former England striker Peter Crouch says Man City looked resigned to defeat and there was a “lack of fight” in Pep Guardiola’s team.

Speaking on TNT Sports, he said: “That was the worrying thing for me. It felt like they were waiting to get beat and there was nothing frantic about them.

“They were lacking ideas and there wasn’t the ‘shock’ when they were behind.”

Here’s the thoughts of The Independent’s chief football writer Miguel Delaney:

‘Pep Guardiola has an argument to be the greatest manager of all time, and yet it doesn’t feel he has “managed” this situation at all well - even separate to form. Constantly going on about himself and his own legacy, and not in a way that deflects attention from the players.

‘It doesn’t scream “leadership”, which I know sounds very “high performance” but you basically want someone growling about getting through this.’