Aston Villa v Man City LIVE: Premier League result and final score as City’s miserable run continues
Aston Villa 2-1 Manchester City: Unai Emery’s side were dominant and inflicted a ninth defeat in 12 games for Pep Guardiola
Manchester City’s miserable run of form continued as Aston Villa leapfrogged Pep Guardiola’s side into fifth with a deserved victory over the faltering Premier League champions.
Goals from Jhon Duran and Morgan Rogers, who struck against his former club, condemned City to a third defeat in a row and ninth loss in their last 12 games in all competitions.
City were out-run by Unai Emery’s side, who rediscovered their form with a stirring performance in front of their home fans. It was a day to forget for Jack Grealish, City’s brightest player on his return to Villa Park, who was booed throughout another lackluster performance from Guardiola’s team.
Villa started brightly and Duran had the chance to open the scoring after just 15 seconds. The striker converted his second opportunity to finish a flowing move on 15 minutes, instigated by a brilliant Youri Tielemans pass. Dominant after half-time, Rogers wrapped up victory on the hour.
City had no response, with Erling Haaland anonymous and Kevin De Bruyne remaining on the bench throughout as an unused substitute. Phil Foden pulled one back with seconds left, but it was too little too late as City drop to sixth in the table, with Villa climbing into fifth. Follow all the reaction in our live blog below.
Aston Villa 0-0 Man City
3 min: Man City clear the third corner, and breath a sigh of relief. Duran should have scored and then Ortega made a brilliant stop to deny Torres.
A few boos for Grealish as he gets his first touches on the left wing.
Aston Villa 0-0 Man City
1 mins: SAVE! Huge save from Ortega to keep McGinn’s corner out! It was Torres’ header actually, Ortega clawed it off the line. Then he tips over McGinn’s deep corner.
WHAT A START!
KICK-OFF!
And an early chance for Aston Villa! Incredible. 20 seconds in, Gvardiol slips and Jhon Duran is through!
He takes it so, so early and Ortega saves easily, pushing behind for a corner.
That should be 1-0.
Aston Villa vs Man City: Kick-off next
Where can I watch the match?
The match is being shown on TNT Sports 1 and Discovery+.
Aston Villa vs Man City: Kick-off next
‘Crazy Train’ rings out at Villa Park.
It’s been crazy times for Manchester City of late. One win in 11 games.
Can they start to turn it around this afternoon or will Unai Emery increase the misery on the champions?
Kick-off is next.
Aston Villa vs Man City: Last time out at Villa Park
Aston Villa’s only victory in the past 17 meetings in all competitions was by 1-0 at home in the Premier League on 6 December last year. Unai Emery’s side can earn consecutive home league wins against Manchester City for the first time since 1993.
After defeat at Villa Park last year, Man City didn’t lose again in the Premier League and went on to lift their fourth title in a row under Pep Guardiola. How they could use a run like that now... but it does not look likely on current form.
Eight defeats in City’s past 11 matches in all competitions is as many as they lost in their previous 106 fixtures, and they are winless in seven successive away games in all competitions for the first time since a run of 10 from January to April 2011 under Roberto Mancini.
The champions have earned just four points from their past seven Premier League fixtures, a joint-low alongside Southampton.
Out of form Walker and De Bruyne dropped by Guardiola
A side with six defeats in 11 against a team with eight. It is the derby of the out of form, with two Spanish managers looking for a winning formula. Pep Guardiola has dropped Kyle Walker and Kevin de Bruyne and selected the fit-again John Stones. Unai Emery has preferred Jhon Duran to Ollie Watkins.
Villa Park return is painful reminder that Jack Grealish is wasting his talent at Man City
Jack Grealish has been at City since August 2021. He has only played particularly well for one of those seasons, 2022-23. Last year, he found form for a month, from the end of December, and around 10 days in spring. His form otherwise explained his omission from England’s Euro 2024 squad. He may have been luckless with ill-timed injuries this season and the statistics again show City lose a lower percentage of games he starts, but his recent achievements end there.
And the glimpse of his beloved ground may remind Grealish, the great-grandson of a 1905 Villa FA Cup winner and the Brummie who captained them to promotion, of what he is missing out on. Sold long before Unai Emery was appointed, Grealish was not to know what would happen in his absence, but the thought must have crossed his mind that he could have still been there, skippering them in their Champions League win over Bayern Munich.
Villa Park return is painful reminder that Jack Grealish is wasted at Man City
Pep Guardiola has turned ‘one of the most exciting attacking players in world football’ into someone who is neither exciting nor attacking, and Grealish is now struggling to contribute at all
Manchester City’s run of results, eight losses in 11 games
L 1-2 vs Tottenham (A) - Carabao Cup
L 1-2 vs Bournemouth (A) - Premier League
L 1-4 vs Sporting (A) - Champions League
L 1-2 vs Brighton (A) - Premier League
L 0-4 vs Tottenham (H) - Premier League
D 3-3 vs Feyenoord (H) - Champions League
L 0-2 vs Liverpool (A) - Premier League
W 3-0 vs Nottingham Forest (H) - Premier League
D 2-2 vs Crystal Palace (A) - Premier League
L 0-2 vs Juventus (A) - Champions League
L 1-2 vs Manchester United (H) - Premier League
Pep Guardiola on dropping Kyle Walker and Kevin De Bruyne
Pep Guardiola, speaking to TNT Sports ahead of Man City’s test against Aston Villa.
On the return of John Stones and Manuel Akanji, who start:
“They train two, three times. Important players for us.”
On Ederson, who is not in the City squad:
“He’s not here. He doesn’t feel good.”
On Walker and De Bruyne, who have both dropped to the bench:
“The way we want to play, I decide this line-up. As simple as that.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments