Matheus Nunes scored a stoppage-time winner for Manchester City to earn a dramatic 2-1 victory over Aston Villa that lifts them up to third in the Premier League table.
It sparked jubilant scenes of celebration inside the Etihad Stadium with Pep Guardiola leading them, his side now well placed to secure Champions League football next season having put an end to their rivals’ five-game winning run in the league.
Bernardo Silva put City ahead early but Marcus Rashford, who had hit the post after 17 seconds, levelled for Villa from the penalty spot following a VAR intervention for a foul by Ruben Dias on Jacob Ramsey. City continued to push and push for the winner.
Nunes found it and his goal means City are now one point ahead of Nottingham Forest in the Champions League spots, with Unai Emery’s Villa still seventh – albeit only four points behind City. The race remains close. But this was a huge moment for City.
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Bernardo Silva fires Man City in front against Aston Villa
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Manchester City fume as VAR intervenes to hand Aston Villa a penalty
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Matheus Nunes wins it for Manchester City in a vital result against Aston Villa
How it played out at Etihad
“He has made a big call,” said Roy Keane before kick-off in reference to Emery’s decision to start Rashford ahead of Ollie Watkins, who has impressed in his past two Premier League performances. But Rashford was a livewire from the opening seconds.
He struck the post after 17 of them, an early warning of Villa’s ability to cause problems for City. But Villa’s task became more difficult when Emiliano Martinez somehow allowed Silva’s shot to squirm past him after good work by Omar Marmoush out wide.
Guardiola opted to play Silva alongside Mateo Kovacic in midfield, with Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan ahead of them. The quartet are all over 30 and offer real control in possession, but it does leave City susceptible on the counter-attack – and so it proved.
Craig Pawson did not spot in real time that Dias has tripped Ramsey but the VAR intervention resulted in a penalty that Rashford scored. It is over 20 years now since City conceded this many goals at home in a Premier League season. But they have resolve.
It was Guardiola’s side who pushed hardest for the winner, James McAtee coming desperately close with a lob over Martinez that angled wide. Though Rashford rounded Stefan Ortega before hitting the side-netting, the pressure did build on Villa.
In the end, it was the introduction of Jeremy Doku as a substitute that proved key, finding space down the left and playing an inviting ball behind the back line that Nunes was on hand to finish. Nunes just being there, playing as a right-back, spoke volumes.
“You cannot imagine City and Guardiola not in the Champions League,” Gary Neville had said beforehand. On a night when it will have felt to many fans inside the stadium that this was on the line, their team had just enough to end Villa’s brilliant run of form.
What the players said…
Man City match-winner Matheus Nunes speaking to Sky Sports:
“The game was important. Very tough game against a tough opponent. We came with the mentality that we needed to win.
“Perfect timing! It couldn’t have come at a better time. We will see at the end of the season. It will be very important.”
Man City defender Ruben Dias speaking to Sky Sports:
“They are on the run to the top five with us. Special game to get three points. Four games to go and all of them will be massively important. We keep on going.
“We know how tight it is and how tight it will be until the end. I can’t quantify how important today was.
“This means everything to us. We know exactly what circumstances we are in, top four or five means everything. This is our main trophy. We have the FA Cup and Club World Cup but this is everything to us.”
Aston Villa midfielder Youri Tielemans speaking to Sky Sports:
“Frustrating to lose in the last minute. We fought really hard. We blocked pretty much everything. To lose like that, it is frustrating. We get the first chance and they get the last. They score and we don’t. That is football. Really frustrating.
“We have four games left. We will give our all and hopefully be back where we want to be, in the Champions League positions.”