Aston Villa hosted Manchester City at Villa Park this Saturday, as part of the 17th day of the Premier League. Before this poster, the two teams were neck and neck in the rankings: the Villans were in 7th place, just two lengths behind the Citizens, 5th.
In the grip of an unprecedented crisis, Pep Guardiola’s team showed signs of feverishness from the start of the match. After only fifteen seconds of play, a loss of the ball by Gvardiol offered Aston Villa a first clear opportunity. Fortunately for the English champions, their goalkeeper Stefan Ortega stood out by winning his face-to-face with Jhon Duran, conceding a corner. On this one, Ortega was decisive again, making a crucial save on his line, validated by goal-line technology (2ᵉ).
Duran sets Villa Park on fire
After a quarter of an hour of play, Unai Emery’s men continued to dominate. The main danger for City’s defense had a name: Jhon Duran. On an action initiated by Youri Tielemans, the latter combined with Rogers, who served him ideally. Duran, perfectly placed, opened his foot and deceived Ortega to open the score (1-0, 16th).
On the Citizens side, the attack lacked bite, despite the efforts of Phil Foden and Jack Grealish. Foden tried his luck after a one-two with Rico Lewis, but his shot was deflected for a corner. As for Grealish, the true spearhead of the Mancunian offensives, he was active without managing to materialize. Shortly before the break, he served Gvardiol, who saw his header miss the target (42nd).
Villa puts pressure on, Rogers stuns City
Returning from the locker room, Aston Villa maintained its grip on the match, relying in particular on Youri Tielemans who was omnipresent in the animation of his team. The Belgian midfielder initiated a first opportunity for Matty Cash, whose shot went wide (48th). A few moments later, Tielemans delivered a precise pass to Jhon Duran, who was finally flagged offside (50th).
The Villans imposed constant pressure, literally asphyxiating their opponents. Their domination resulted in several new offensives, notably by Rogers, a real poison for the Mancunian defense. After getting rid of a defender, he saw his attempt repelled by Stefan Ortega (59th). But Aston Villa’s perseverance finally paid off. In the 65th minute, Rogers, in combination with John McGinn, was ideally served in the area and adjusted Ortega with an unstoppable shot in the left corner (2-0).
Despite a match largely in favor of the locals, the Citizens managed to reduce the gap in added time. After a great breakthrough from Savinho, the ball was passed to Phil Foden, who, with a precise shot, found the right corner of the goal, scoring his first goal of the season (2-1, 90+3ᵉ). But that was not enough to deprive Aston Villa of its great operation: the Villans won the three points and settled in fifth place, relegating Manchester City to a provisional 6th position, while the Citizens extended their black streak.
