Match report: Aston Villa 2-1 Man City

Manchester City have added a loss in the Premier League to the one to the Premier League, as their perfect on-pitch record vanished at Aston Villa. The two most in-form strikers in England did battle and it was Nicolas Jackson’s double that meant his side come out on top against Erling Haaland.

City are certainly infallible, losing for the fourth time in a row here, and it was a reminder that life will not always be as simple as their first seven games. Mistakes cost them as Marc Guéhi and Gianluigi Donnarumma played their part in Jackson’s goals, which will give him greater pleasure as they ended Enzo Maresca’s perfect start.

“Just imagine how good Villa might be,” says Eddy Nason, “if they started the season in August rather than mid-September!”

Quite. Villa had one point (and one goal) after four Premier League games. Now they have 11 points from eight matches, plus nine from three in the Champions League.

The final whistle brings a mighty roar from the Villa fans, who must be so damn proud of their football team and especially their outstanding manager.

Unai Emery has mastermined a stirring victory against a City team who had won seven out of seven. City contributed fully to a fabulous game, but you’d need a plastic banana to begrudge Villa the three points.

90+5 min Buendia is booked for a foul on Lewis, and there’s a brief bit of nonsense on the touchline involving some of the coaches.

90+4 min Khusanov commits a witless foul on Madjo, allowing Villa to eat up another 30 seconds.

90+2 min Two minutes left for City to save the game. An angled, driven cross from deep on the left is headed towards goal by Haaland and saved comfortably by Suzuki. Torres did well to ensure Haaland couldn’t get a clear header.

90+1 min An overhit cross from the teenager McAidoo gives Villa a goalkick.

90 min Four minutes of added time. Two-hundred and forty seconds.

89 min Foden dances to the byline on the left and lifts a deep cross towards Haaland, whose powerful header is nodded clear by Maatsen in the six-yard box. Suzuki might have had it covered, I’m not sure. But it was excellent defending and Maatsen has improved hugely in the second half.

Moments later, Doku screws a difficult volley well wide.

86 min After an extended spell of City possession, Foden spanks a rising drive from 25 yards that is blocked by Cash.

Right now, City don’t look like scoring. But then nor did Villa at 1-1.

84 min “Win, lose or draw today, I’ll raise a glass of rosé to the best pound for pound manager in the Prem today,” says Mike Daniels. “Unai is the man.”

Good evening email.

83 min Within seconds of coming on, Madjo is booked for kicking the ball away. This is his Premier League debut, but I don’t thnk that’s a record – wasn’t Myles Lewis-Skelly booked before making his debut at Manchester City in 2024-25?

82 min: Double substitution Leon Goretzka and Brian Madjo replace Joao Gomes, who was excellent, and Nicolas Jackson, who was quite outstanding.

81 min Lots of City possession, but Villa are keeping them at arm’s length. They were hanging on when Jackson put them 2-1 ahead; since then they’ve been a lot more comfortable.

78 min McAidoo breaks the lines and plays a simple ball to the overlapping Lewis. His cross is wildly overhit and that’s the end of that.

77 min Doku, under pressure from Cash, heads the ball out of play. Doku has had some dangerous moments – he’s too good not to – but overall Cash has played him well.

76 min The first signs of frustration from City, who haven’t put Villa under sustained pressure since going 2-1 behind.

As I type that, McAidoo is booked for a cynical foul on Maatsen.

74 min Anderson leaves one on Joao Gomes and is booked.

72 min McAidoo feeds the underlapping Lewis, whose cutback towards Foden is read and intercepted by Kamara. A quietly brilliant piece of defending.

69 min: Man City substitution Ryan McAidoo replaces Iliman Ndiaye.

66 min: Villa substitution Emi Buendia and Ross Barkley on, Johan Manzambi and the outstanding John McGinn off.

65 min Fernandez’s orner is headed back across goal and well wide by Gvardiol. Half a chance.

65 min “I must say, I think not enough is made of the principled stand of Manchester City fans during this whole boosted revenue escapade/debacle,” says Paul Griffin. “Their decision to wave bananas – inflated, artificial and completely implausible – is admirable.”

63 min Nicolas Jackson has given a lone-striker masterclass today.

It’s a mistake from Gianluigi Donnarumma, but Villa worked the ball so well. Jackson turned brilliantly on the halfway line, swept the ball out to Mbaye on the right and got on his bike.

Mbaye ran at a backpedalling defender before arrowing a low pass back towards Jackson on the edge of the area. He swept a first-time shot on the run that went through Donnarumma and into the net.

It was straight at Donnarumma, and a playground goalkeeper would have cleared it nonchalantly with their right foot. But Donnarumma’s goalkeeping instinct kicked in; he tried to save it with his hands, couldn’t contort his body as required and pushed the ball into the net.

60 min: Villa substitution Ibrahim Mbaye is on for Alysson.

59 min Doku curls wide from distance after a trademark run infield.

58 min A ferocious clearance from Khusanov hits Manzanbi in a very personal space. He falls over, then rolls off the field in serious pain.

It’s a very cold day, so I feel Manzanbi’s pain, but at least they’re not playing with a Mitre Mouldmaster.

57 min Incidentally, Haaland has now scored 13 goals in his last nine games. And that’s without any hat-tricks.

56 min: Good save by Suzuki! Doku cuts inside from the left and fires an angled pass into the underlapping Gvardiol. He takes the ball in his stride like a seasoned No10 and whacks a rising drive that is pushed over well by Suzuki.

55 min Now Cash is booked for a poor – possibly accidental – tackle on Doku. His studs went into the back of Doku’s foot, probably just below the achilles.

54 min Manzanbi is booked for delaying a City restart. Villa are on the ropes.

A clinical finish from Erling Haaland brings City level. Ndiaye, who has been excellent on the right, beat Manzanbi with a stepover and clipped an inviting cross to the far post. Haaland got up early, ahead of Lindelof, and slammed a downward header into the net from six yards.

50 min A promising City attack ends when Anderson overhits a cross from the De Bruyne Zone. He normally measures his crosses expertly from that position. On this occasion, the ball flies out of play and the home fans whistle with disdain.

48 min That header, by the way, was only Haaland’s ninth touch of the game. It’s the tenth, eleventh and twelfth that Villa will be worried about.

47 min Villa break after an errant pass from Lewis. Eventually Maatsen pings a shot that ricochets behind for a corner. Cash takes, Haaland wins it in the air and City eventually clear.

46 min Back under way. Khusanov has moved infield to centre-back.

Half-time reading

I’m looking forward to Older and Calmer, a duet between Jose and Indigo De Souza.

45 min One minute of added time. Cherki’s curving pass towards Haaland is cut out by the last defender Lindelof. There was a lot of grass behind Lindelof but Cherki didn’t quite get the pass right.

44 min Ndiaye’s deflected cross is claimed at the second attempt by Suzuki. City’s wide players have been a big threat.

42 min Pound for pound, Unai Emery is the best manager in the world: discuss.

(I don’t know whether I think this, but it’s surely up for discussion. It’s astonishing that he has them playing this well so soon after losing Martinez, Konsa, Digne, Rogers, Tielemans, Rogers, Watkins.)

38 min Cherki loses the ball to Manzanbi, pulls him back to stop a Villa break and is booked. Villa have kept Cherki very quiet in his day job.

37 min There’s a cracking atmosphere at Villa Park: constant hostility from the home fans, period defiance from the away end.

Another good run from Doku leads to a City corner. Enzo Fernandez takes, Kamara heads away at the near post.

34 min … and Manzanbi whacks it over the bar. A poor effort by his standards.

33 min The free-kick is just outside the area, slightly to the left of centre…

32 min Guehi is booked for fouling Jackson just outside the area. It was a bit of a wrestling match, and Guehi didn’t think he’d committed the foul. The home fans, by contrast, thought it should have been a Dogso red card. I’m pretty sure there was a covering defender.

With Villa seeing very little of the ball in the last 25 minutes, Nicolas Jackson has been fantastic.

31 min Now City want a penalty when Maatsen, who is really struggling, misses a lunging tackle at Ndiaye, who then goes over. Hard to tell whether he was fouled or whether he slipped. It was clumsy from Maatsen but it’s been cleared by VAR.

31 min “I’ve come late to the MBM and need to warn you not to put ideas into people’s heads,” writes Richard Hirst. “At the rate Man City are collecting points a 50 point deduction would be nowhere near enough to ensure that they finish below Fulham.”

30 min Manzanbi goes over in the area after running into Anderson. The Villa fans want a penalty but the referee isn’t interested; nor are VAR. It looked like Anderson just stood his ground.

29 min “Fantastic reading in the lee of Mt Ventoux that Villa have taken the lead,” writes Mike Daniels. “Nowhere to watch but thanks for the live report.”

You are most welcome.

26 min A quick free-kick from McGinn, whose football brain is as big as his backside, leads to a corner that is punched away by Donnarumma. Terrific game, this - the clash of styles, the tempo, the slight edge that is going to lead to a shoving match any minute now.

24 min Another good run from Doku forces Villa into some desperate defending. They are simultaneously hanging on at 1-0, and threateningt to make it 2-0 whenever they break.

21 min Doku crackles past Alysson on the edge of the area and fires a low cross at Cherki. He sweeps a first-time shot towards goal and Suzuki falls on the ball to his left. Comfortable save.

Suzuki then belts the ball downfield and out for a throw-in in the City half. “If in doubt, ping one out,” says the TNT Sports commentator Darren Fletcher.

19 min Enzo Fernandez appeals for a penalty after a slight shove from Joao Gomes. Villa break, with Jackson all alone. He runs at a backpedalling defence before dragging a shot wide from the edge of the area.

VAR don’t intervene on the Fernandez incident. Gomes took a risk – both hands on the back – but I guess it falls under referee’s call.

17 min Loads of City pressure now, though Villa are a constant threat on the break.

13 min: Fine save by Suzuki! This is a cracking match. Ndiaye cuts inside from the right, beats two defenders and curls a fast left-foot shot towards the corner from 20 yards. Suzuki dives a long way to his right to push it away with both hands.

9 min That’s woken City up. Gvardiol breaks into the area and reverse a cross that is deflected behind by Lindelof.

Dias’s risky crossfield pass was miscontrolled on the right by Guehi, allowing McGinn to push the ball into the penalty area for Jackson. He shuffled back inside Anderson, whose attempted tackle was a bit lazy, and lifted an emphatic sidefoot finish past Donnarumma. That was so cool from Jackson, who already has six goals for Villa.

6 min … which almost leads to a goal. McGinn took it short on the left, got it back and picked out the onrushing Alysson on the edge of the area. His fierce first-time shot was crucially blocked by Guehi.

Villa have had 92% possession. Yep.

5 min Donnarumma is penalised for taking too long over the goalkick, so Villa have a bonus corner…

4 min Villa work the ball nicely across the face of the City area before Cash’s cross is turned behind by Guehi. McGinn drives a long corner to Maatsen, whose sidefoot volley flies over the bar.

2 min Guehi makes a good sliding tackle on Manzambi just outside the area. Villa have started well.

1 min The players take a knee before Villa kick off from right to left as we watch.

There’s another big lunchtime game in the WSL. You can join Billy Munday for that.

Saying which, there’s a sudden chorus of boos – I’m not exactly sure why because the TV coverage is showing the Villa line-up.

The players walk out of the tunnel, into the Birmingham rain. It doesn’t sound espeically hostile, although you can’t always tell on TV. The City fans are once again tooled up with inflatable bananas.

“Hi Rob,” writes Gary Naylor. “Barreling down the péage from Girona to Avignon, having spent the morning in the Dali Museum (still a third rater if you ask me), I have a moral dilemma. Can we ask Grok to direct us to a bar showing the Everton match? Or would that be shaking hands with both the AI and Musk devils? It was easier when you just had to wait until Monday afternoon and pick up a Guardian International for 50 francs.”

Heh. I remember reading Austria Vienna 5-1 Manchester United in the results section in August 1991. That was – and still is – the extent of my knowledge about the game. The papers didn’t cover the game, because it was still the cricket season.

Enzo Maresca on the omission of Phil Foden

The good thing is that because we play so many games we have so many players available and to choose from. We want to keep the players fresh and fit.

Next!

Joking and next!ing aside, it’s a sign of the times that Foden scored a hat-trick on Wednesday yet most people expected him to be left out today.

Elliot Anderson has been chatting to TNT Sports. When asked whether he expected City to receive another hostile reception – this is their first away game since Anfield – he chuckled and said: “Yeah, probably. Everywhere we go, we’ll get it.”

On this day in 2022… Unai Emery was appointed as Villa’s head coach. The jury were released a long time ago.

Unai Emery’s pre-match thoughts

It’s a huge, huge challenge today. They are a team who try to dominate, to impose their positioning, their skills and their tactical structure. We must be so intense in our focus and in our actions. Then, when we have the ball, we have try to threaten them. It’s a huge challenge, collectively and individually, against the best team in the league right now.

City have been beaten on their last three visits to Villa Park: 1-0 December 2023, 2-1 in December 2024 and 1-0 last October.

Villa also won at the Etihad in May, which sealed their first league double over City since 1962-63. What does it all mean?

“There are no coincidences in life,” writes Krishnamoorthy V. “Your mention of The Shining in the preamble connects to The Overlook Hotel. Is it a reference to what the Premier League will do in its assessment of City’s appeal?”

You are the caretaker.

Bayern Munich say their head coach Vincent Kompany, who was taken to hospital after collapsing during training on Friday, will be absent for “weeks rather than days”. Kompany is in a stable condition in hospital.

You can read about that, and all the rest of the day’s fitba news, on our matchday live blog.

It was five months ago but it feels a lot longer. When these two sides met in May to finish the season, the contest doubled as Pep Guardiola’s leaving party after 10 years in the job and twice as many trophies, an era now laden with asterisks. It must be surreal for Aston Villa supporters, too. Their 2-1 victory at the Etihad Stadium, inspired by two goals from Ollie Watkins to complete a league double over City, came only four days after their Europa League triumph in Istanbul, where Youri Tielemans, Morgan Rogers and Emi Buendía were the scorers.

Buendía is the only one left in claret and blue as Unai Emery builds a new side, one that has picked up in form after a single point from their first four league games. City, meanwhile, are thriving on the pitch: victory would make them just the third side to win their first eight games of a Premier League season.