Nicolas Jackson’s double, Zion Suzuki’s saves and two City errors helped Aston Villa beat the league leaders 2-1.
Aston Villa (2.85) beat Manchester City 2-1 at Villa Park on Saturday to end City’s perfect start to the Premier League season. Nicolas Jackson scored twice, and Unai Emery’s side won for the fourth time in a row in all competitions.
Two Errors Lead To Two Goals
Both Villa goals came from lapses at the back. Marc Guehi made the first mistake in the sixth minute. He tried to control a chipped pass from Ruben Dias but spilled the ball into John McGinn’s path. McGinn found Jackson, who skipped inside Elliot Anderson and fired into the roof of the net. Erling Haaland equalised in the 52nd minute with a header from Iliman Ndiaye’s cross.
Villa then struck again on the hour. Victor Lindelof’s ball helped them turn defence into attack, and substitute Ibrahim Mbaye crossed for Jackson. His shot went straight at Gianluigi Donnarumma, but the goalkeeper went down awkwardly and let it squirm under him.
Opta noted that Guehi has made three errors leading to goals since the start of last season. Donnarumma has also made three since he joined City (1.75). Maresca took Guehi off at halftime and sent on Rico Lewis. He called it a technical decision, partly because Guehi had a yellow card.
Suzuki And A Back Line That Held
City controlled the match on paper. They had 64% possession and an expected goals total of 1.56 to Villa’s 0.61. They made 29 touches in the Villa area in the first half, the most by any team in a Premier League first half this season.
Villa’s goalkeeper Zion Suzuki kept them out. He made six saves, including stops from Ndiaye, Rayan Cherki and Abdukodir Khusanov. Ndiaye also hit the post. Suzuki then tipped a ferocious Josko Gvardiol strike onto the bar at 1-1, which proved decisive. Ian Maatsen later cleared a Haaland header off the line.
Villa recorded 31 tackles, 11 interceptions and 22 clearances. Matty Cash kept Jeremy Doku quiet at right-back. Victor Lindelof, Pau Torres and Boubacar Kamara also defended well.
A Reshaped Squad Finds Its Feet
Villa lost two of their first league games and struggled to win early on. They have taken 11 points from their last six league games and are unbeaten in six matches in all competitions. Four mid-year signings started against City.
Jackson has scored seven goals in 11 games in league and cup. He took both of his chances well, and they were Villa’s only shots on target. Johan Manzambi also threatened on the break. Mbaye made an immediate impact off the bench.
Villa are now two points behind fifth-placed Chelsea (3.05). They have also won their last four home games against sides starting the day top of the table. They became the first team since Liverpool (2.18) in December 2016 to win three successive Premier League games against City.
What The Defeat Means For City
City had won seven straight league games to start the season. Arsenal (2.31) then drew level with them on points after beating Everton 2-0, though City remain top on goal difference. Maresca stayed calm.
“We deserved more from the game,” he said. “We lost because we were probably not being clinical enough in their box,” he added.
City have now lost their last four league games at Villa Park. They conceded eight goals in their first nine games in all competitions and nine in their last four. The pattern of individual errors worries Maresca.
Jackson, meanwhile, enjoyed the afternoon: “It is incredible,” he said. “Now we can focus on the next one.”
