Aston Villa handed a 2-1 defeat to struggling Manchester City on December 21, piling more pressure on Pep Guardiola, whose side has now suffered nine losses in their last 12 matches.
Jhon Duran opened the scoring for Villa with a well-executed team move, giving the home side an early advantage. Morgan Rogers then extended Villa’s lead with a goal in the 65th minute.
Phil Foden netted his first Premier League goal of the season in stoppage time, but it came too late to spark a City comeback, leaving Guardiola’s men to endure another painful setback.
Pep Guardiola, enduring the worst run of his illustrious career, said on December 20 that “sooner or later” things will turn around, but his team’s once-feared reputation has all but disappeared.
After the loss, striker Erling Haaland spoke to TNT Sports about the mood in the dressing room.
“Not much was said, but of course, we’re disappointed. It’s not good enough. It’s not good enough from me,” the Norwegian admitted. “Villa are a good team, and it’s tough to play here, but we’re Manchester City. We should be performing better. We have to keep going, believe, and keep working hard.”
Reflecting on his own form, Haaland said: “First, I’m looking at myself. I haven’t been doing things well enough, I haven’t been finishing my chances. I need to do better, I haven’t been good enough. But we have to stay positive, even though it’s tough.”
When asked about Guardiola’s struggles, Haaland emphasized the manager’s past success: “He’s won the Premier League six times in seven years, so we’ll never forget that. He will find solutions, as he always does. We still believe in him, and right now, we have to work harder than ever.”
The victory lifts Unai Emery’s Villa to fifth in the Premier League, one place above the struggling City side.
Pep Guardiola made six changes to the side that lost the Manchester derby on December 15, bringing in goalkeeper Stefan Ortega and reshaping his defense with Rico Lewis, John Stones, and Manuel Akanji. Mateo Kovacic and Jack Grealish also returned to the starting lineup.
However, the defending champions started the match in chaotic fashion and could have found themselves behind within the first 20 seconds. A sloppy pass from Josko Gvardiol allowed John McGinn to intercept the ball and set up Jhon Duran, whose shot from outside the box was pushed behind by Ortega.
Villa came close to taking the lead from the resulting corner, with Ortega—making a rare start in place of first-choice goalkeeper Ederson—producing a superb save to deny Pau Torres’ header.
City eventually settled into the match, dominating possession with over 75%, but they created few chances. Instead, it was Villa who took the lead through Duran, who netted his seventh Premier League goal of the season following a brilliant team move.
Youri Tielemans delivered a perfectly-weighted pass to Morgan Rogers, who burst through City’s defense before finding Duran on his right. The Colombian made no mistake, finishing coolly past Ortega.
Phil Foden tested Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez in the 35th minute after a well-executed move involving Lewis, but Gvardiol squandered a glorious chance just before half-time, heading a Jack Grealish cross over the bar.
Guardiola made a tactical change at half-time, bringing on Kyle Walker for John Stones in an attempt to shore up his defense.
However, Villa came close to extending their lead early in the second half, with Matty Cash firing a powerful shot into the side netting following a quick counter-attack. Moments later, Duran had a goal ruled out for offside.
Just before the hour mark, Morgan Rogers struck the foot of the post after a well-crafted team move down the left. But Villa weren’t to be denied for long. In the 65th minute, Rogers made no mistake, finishing clinically from a John McGinn pass to double the lead.
City struggled to break down Villa’s defense as they searched for a way back into the game. Their only reward came in stoppage time when Phil Foden scored a late consolation goal.
Guardiola reflected on his side’s performance after the match: “We had good moments, we created chances—more than in the United game—but in the second half, we dropped off and our pressing was not good enough. We struggled a little bit. We found a goal in the end, but it was too late.” AFP
