Aston Villa delivered a stunning 2-1 victory over Manchester City in the Premier League on Saturday, further deepening the woes of the reigning champions.
Goals from Colombian forward Jhon Duran and former City player Morgan Rogers saw Villa leapfrog City into fifth place in the Premier League table, while Pep Guardiola’s side slipped to sixth with their ninth defeat in 12 matches across all competitions.
City’s form has been concerning, with just one win in that 12-game stretch, and they could fall as low as ninth by the end of the weekend.
Despite this, Guardiola remains hopeful, stating, "It can come, it can not come. It depends on us. The solution is bring the players back (from injuries). We have just one central defender fit, that is difficult. We are going to try next game -- another opportunity and we don’t think much further than that."
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The match began at a frantic pace, with Villa nearly scoring within 20 seconds when Duran seized on a loose pass from Josko Gvardiol. However, City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega made a crucial save. Ortega was called into action again, diving to stop Pau Torres’ effort from a corner that rattled the crossbar.
Villa took the lead in the 16th minute when Youri Tielemans threaded a perfect ball to Rogers, who unselfishly set up Duran to score. The 21-year-old forward continued his impressive form, scoring in his third consecutive league game, although a second effort was ruled out for offside.
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Villa manager Unai Emery expressed satisfaction with Duran’s performance, praising his consistency alongside fellow striker Ollie Watkins: "Jhon Duran today played fantastic, Watkins is fantastic as well, very important for us."
The home side extended their lead in the 65th minute when Rogers capitalized on a pass from captain John McGinn, firing a low shot past Ortega to seal the win. Rogers, reflecting on the match, said, "It’s like a beast, really. Obviously, City hadn’t had the results, and we knew they would come out firing, but we stuck to the game plan and showed our quality."
City managed to pull one back in stoppage time through Phil Foden, whose first league goal of the season came after a mistake by Villa’s Lucas Digne. However, the goal proved to be a mere consolation as Villa held firm.
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Foden had been City’s most dangerous player, including a chance in the first half that forced a save from Villa’s World Cup-winning goalkeeper Emi Martinez.
Erling Haaland, who was largely quiet throughout the match, admitted City's shortcomings: "We are disappointed, it's not good enough. It’s not good enough from me."
A hard-fought win for Villa, coupled with City’s continuing struggles, leaves Guardiola with more questions than answers as the Premier League season progresses.
