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Crisis-hit Manchester City slump to defeat at Aston Villa

football21 December 2024 14:30| © AFP
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Aston Villa beat crisis-hit Manchester City 2-1 on Saturday to heap more misery on floundering manager Pep Guardiola, who has now suffered nine defeats in his past 12 matches.

Jhon Duran finished off a fine team move to give the home side an early lead and Morgan Rogers doubled Villa's advantage in the 65th minute before a late consolation goal from Phil Foden.

Pep Guardiola, in the worst run of his glittering career, said Friday that "sooner or later" things will turn around but City's fear factor has vanished.

The win lifts Unai Emery's inconsistent Villa team to fifth in the Premier League table, one place above sinking City.

Guardiola made six changes to the team side that lost last week's Manchester derby, bringing in goalkeeper Stefan Ortega and reshaping his defence with Rico Lewis, John Stones and Manuel Akanji.

Mateo Kovacic and Jack Grealish also returned.

But the defending champions started the match in chaotic fashion and could have been behind inside 20 seconds.

Untidy work from Josko Gvardiol allowed John McGinn to steal the ball and he fed Duran, whose shot from outside the box was pushed behind by Ortega.

Villa were millimetres away from taking the lead from the resulting corner, with Ortega, in for first-choice goalkeeper Ederson, producing a superb save to deny Pau Torres.

City then settled and their possession numbers topped 75 per cent but they created little.

Instead it was Villa who took the lead through Duran after a superb team move, scoring his seventh Premier League goal of the season.

Youri Tielemans delivered a wonderful defence-splitting pass to Rogers, who burst through City's backline with ease before finding Duran on his right and the Colombian international finished crisply.

Phil Foden tested Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez in the 35th minute after an incisive move involving Lewis.

And Gvardiol squandered a glorious chance moments before halftime, heading over a Grealish cross.

Guardiola brought on Kyle Walker for Stones at the break.

Minutes into the second half Villa's Matty Cash lashed an attempt into the side netting after a speedy attack before Duran had a strike ruled out for offside.

Rogers hit the foot of the post just before the hour mark after an intricate team move down the left.

Emery's men doubled their lead 20 minutes into the second half, with Rogers finishing unerringly from a McGinn pass.

City created little as they searched for a way back into the game until Foden pounced for a late consolation goal.

A LOOK AT THE STATS

- Aston Villa have won consecutive home league games against Manchester City for the first time since April 1993, as many victories as they managed against the Citizens in their previous 11 such matches (D3 L6).

- Aston Villa have defeated the reigning top-flight champions at home in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1975-76 (v Derby) and 1976-77 (v Liverpool).

- Manchester City have already lost nine games in all competitions this season; only in 2019-20 (12) and 2016-17 (10) has a side managed by Pep Guardiola lost more matches in a season (both with Man City).

- Manchester City are winless in five consecutive Premier League away games (D1 L4) for the first time under Pep Guardiola, last failing to win more consecutive such matches in December 2015 (6) under Manuel Pellegrini.

- Jhon Durán scored his seventh Premier League goal of the season; only Jamal Musiala (9) has netted more goals in the big-five European leagues in 2024-25 among players aged 21 or under.

- Jhon Durán has scored four goals in his six Premier League starts for Aston Villa, netting in each of his last three such games, while he’s scored in four consecutive matches in all competitions for the Villans for the first time.

- Morgan Rogers both scored and assisted in a Premier League game for the first time; he’s the fourth Aston Villa player to do so against Man City in the competition, after Leandro Bacuna (Sep 2013), Paul Merson (Mar 2001) and David Ginola (Dec 2000).

- Man City’s Phil Foden scored his first Premier League goal of the season, with his 30th shot overall and his sixth attempt of the match – more than any other player, having come into the match with the most attempts in the competition without scoring in 2024-25 (24).

- Bernardo Silva made his 250th appearance in the Premier League, the ninth player to reach this milestone for Manchester City, while only Luís Boa Morte (296) has played in more games in the competition among Portuguese players.

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