Match Report and Player Ratings: Aston Villa 2-1 Manchester City (Premier League) | OneFootball

It’s now just one win in 12 for Manchester City, who fell to yet another defeat this time at the hands of Aston Villa in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.

The reigning top-flight champions could have been two goals down within just two minutes at Villa Park, and trailed at the half-time interval after Jhon Duran scored from a quick break for the hosts.

Former Manchester City man Morgan Rodgers compounded the Blues’ pain with the second goal for Aston Villa, and so despite Phil Foden’s first league goal of the season in the closing stages, it is a sixth defeat in the league this term for Pep Guardiola’s beleaguered men.

If City were at all nervy heading into the game, the start they made would have done nothing to ease those concerns, as a mix-up between John Stones and Josko Gvardiol allowed Duran a free run at goal within 20 seconds, but Stefan Ortega got down smartly to deny the Colombian.

The German international shot-stopper was required again immediately, as Pau Torres’ header went looping towards the top corner, only for Manchester City’s keeper to scoop it out just before it crossed the line.

City began controlling the ball more after that frantic start, getting their first shots away through Jack Grealish and Mateo Kovacic, but on the 15-minute mark they were carved open for Aston Villa’s opener.

John Stones pressed Youri Tielemans high but it left the defender out of position, so Aston Villa’s midfielder played a cutting ball through to Rodgers, and the City academy graduate easily teed up Duran who did not pass up another chance.

City were clearly instructed to look for the switch to Grealish on the left wing at every opportunity; the pitch-side microphones picked up Pep Guardiola’s screams of “Jack!” whenever he felt his players ought to have fed the no.10.

The tactic seemed to aid in helping City gain a foothold in the game and they had a better 15-minute spell, culminating in a nice move from Phil Foden and Rico Lewis, with the former drawing a decent save from Emiliano Martinez.

Perhaps City’s best chance of the half came when they played Villa at their own game and hit on counter-attacks before half-time; Gvardiol charged up the pitch and gave it to Grealish, before continuing his run into the box and getting on the end of the Englishman’s cross, only to lift his header over the bar.

The second half began as frantically as the first had, with a Matty Cash shot, Jhon Duran offside goal, and a wayward Phil Foden effort all coming within the first five minutes.

City were in desperate need of a goal but just couldn’t stop the Villa threat; Rodgers went close to adding a second for the hosts just before the hour mark, bundling through the defence and driving his shot against the outside of the post.

But he wasn’t to be denied for long – the Aston Villa attacker brushed off Kyle Walker, Mateo Kovacic and Manuel Akanji, exchanged passes with John McGinn and slotted beyond Stefan Ortega.

In contrast to Villa’s threat every time they came froward, City were painfully toothless; a couple of long-range Foden efforts which were never, ever troubling Martinez was the best they could muster in the second half, until the midfielder finally got a break of the ball and pulled one back, but it was too little, too late for the Blues.

Here’s how we rated the Manchester City players from yet another disappointing afternoon’s work for the Premier League champions in defeat to Aston Villa!

Player Ratings

Starting XI

Stefan Ortega – 7 (MOTM)

As has been the case far too often for City’s keepers this season, he did his best to keep the opposition at bay, but eventually the chances that they created were finished in a manner that couldn’t be stopped.

Rico Lewis – 5.5

Inverted into the midfield but wasn’t much of a presence. Won some challenges but also let Rodgers go on Villa’s first.

John Stones – 5

Untroubled when play out from the back but made the key error in pushing up too high during Villa’s opener. Withdrawn at half-time.

Manuel Akanji – 5.5

Didn’t shy away from his duel with Duran but came off second best on more occasions than not. The sight of him trying in vain to recover as opposing attackers ran clean through on goal has become unfortunately familiar this term.

Josko Gvardiol – 5.5

Linked up fairly well Grealish but couldn’t do anything to stem the Villa tide or to get City flowing going the other way. Missed the best chance the Blues created.

Mateo Kovacic – 4

Played a few nice passes but was chasing shadows off the ball. Didn’t get near Boubacar Kamara, Amadou Onana and Youri Tielemans in the Villa midfield.

Ilkay Gundogan – 6

Picked up some interesting advanced roles and won a few second balls, but just wasn’t involved enough before his withdrawal. Not the biggest culprit behind the defensive openness this time.

Phil Foden – 5

Couldn’t get into the game at all in the first half, and tried to overcompensate by playing ‘hero-ball’ and shooting on sight in the second period. Finally got his goal in the Premier League, but it doesn’t save what was another poor outing.

Bernardo Silva – 6

Full of industry but not much innovation. The fact his highlight of the game was a last-ditch block on Rodgers says a lot about his work-rate, but also about his and City’s attacking threat.

Erling Haaland – 5

One of the major dilemmas of the season; how much blame can you attribute to Haaland, who has so often been invisible, but also barely has anything created for him?

Jack Grealish – 5.5

Saw huge amounts of the ball in the first half and, whilst his control and poise can’t be questioned, you have to wonder what might have happened if the Leroy Sane or Raheem Sterling of yesteryear had been afforded that kind of space.

Substitutes

Kyle Walker – 5

No big errors but floundered about at the back.

Savinho – 5.5

Couldn’t get anything going.

Jeremy Doku – N/A