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Manchester City’s woes deepened as they suffered another demoralizing defeat, this time at the hands of Aston Villa. Goals from Jhon Duran and Morgan Rogers sealed the win for Villa, rendering Phil Foden’s late consolation goal meaningless.
The defending champions have now dropped to sixth in the Premier League, trailing leaders Liverpool by nine points having played two games more. Villa, on the other hand, have leapfrogged City into fifth place.
City’s struggles continue, with nine defeats in their last 12 games across all competitions. They are also winless in their last eight away matches, a stark contrast to their usual dominance.
Pep Guardiola made six changes to the team that lost to Manchester United last week, but it failed to yield a positive result. Villa, who had won just three of their previous 11 top-flight games, secured a much-needed victory to keep their top-four hopes alive.
The hosts were rarely troubled, with Emi Martinez making a crucial save from Foden in the first half.
Villa continually exposed City’s fragile backline, setting the tone with a dominant display from the outset.
Stefan Ortega, deputizing for the injured Ederson, made two crucial saves within the first minute, including a spectacular stop to deny Pau Torres’ header.
However, City’s defense was eventually breached in the 16th minute, courtesy of Youri Tielemans’ pinpoint through-ball, which found Rogers, who selflessly squared the ball for Duran to score.
Rogers, a former City player, sealed the win with a fine finish in the 65th minute, rendering Foden’s injury-time strike mere consolation. And for the first time since 1993 Aston Villa win consecutive home games against Man City.
