Man City record another big defeat as Aston Villa punish Guardiola’s men at Villa Park
Aston Villa’s goals in each half secured them a well-deserved 2-1 victory over struggling champions Manchester City at Villa Park on Saturday
Pep Guardiola’s men stumbled to another defeat, recording only one win in their last eight EPL games after the reigning English Premier League (EPL) champions again looked like a shadow of their dominant past, and goals by John Duran and Morgan Rodgers punished their rudderlessness.
City were missing injured Ruben Dias in defence and the benched duo of Kevin de Bruyne and Jeremy Doku in attack.
Meanwhile, Phil Foden pulled one at the back of the net, serving as a consolation for City.
Aston Villa ripped into the EPL champions from the first whistle and should have taken the lead in 20 seconds, but Duran’s shot was saved when clean through on goal.
Stefan Ortega, Man City goalkeeper, produced an even better save on Pau Torres’ header two minutes late, pushing the Spanish defender’s effort unto the bar to keep the score level.
Villa Park erupted when their side eventually took the lead in the 17th minute with a superb team move. Youri Tielemans released Morgan Rogers, and the midfielder unselfishly squared for Duran to slot into the net for 1-0 to Unai Emery’s side.
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City had been underwhelming for most of the half but sprang to life later. Foden tested Emiliano Martínez with a routine shot before a glancing header from Josko Gvardiol cleared the wrong side of the bar, and the hosts went into the break 1-0 ahead.
Man City improved briefly in the second period, but Villa soon resumed control. Duran had a goal disallowed, Matty Cash could only find the side-netting, and Rogers hit the post as the hosts looked likelier to score.
Rogers, a former Man City player, doubled the lead with an angled finish from a low shot for 2-0.
The defeat means Man City lost six league games before the season’s midpoint, the club’s highest number of defeats in a season since the 2020/21 campaign.
Source: TheCable
