Aston Villa secured a 2-1 victory over Manchester City in the Premier League on Saturday, further deepening City’s woes. Goals from Jhon Durán and Morgan Rogers helped Villa rise to fifth place, while City dropped to sixth, marking their ninth loss in 12 games across all competitions. With just one win from that stretch, Pep Guardiola’s team is in crisis, though the manager remains hopeful for a turnaround.
Guardiola expressed cautious optimism after the match, stating, “It can come, it can not come. It depends on us. The solution is to bring the players back [from injuries]. We have just one central defender fit, that is difficult.” Guardiola emphasized that the team’s focus remains on the next match, without looking too far ahead.
Villa almost took the lead within the first 20 seconds when Jhon Durán capitalized on a poor pass from City’s Josko Gvardiol, but his shot was saved by goalkeeper Stefan Ortega. Ortega later made another crucial save, denying Pau Torres’ shot off a corner. The early pressure foreshadowed Villa’s dominant performance.
In the 16th minute, Durán scored with a well-timed finish after a brilliant pass from Youri Tielemans to Morgan Rogers, who set up the goal. Durán’s performance was further solidified as he found the back of the net for the third consecutive league game. Villa manager Unai Emery praised both Durán and Ollie Watkins for their consistent performances, highlighting their importance to the team.
Rogers sealed Villa’s win in the 65th minute, finishing a pass from captain John McGinn with a low shot past Ortega. Despite City’s attempts to fight back, including a late goal from Phil Foden in stoppage time, it wasn’t enough to prevent the loss. Foden had earlier tested Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez with a first-half chance.
Erling Haaland expressed disappointment, acknowledging the team’s poor performance: “It’s not good enough from me.”
