Man City vs Aston Villa LIVE: Premier League result and final score as Riyad Mahrez penalty wraps up win
Man City 3-1 Aston Villa: The hosts were dominant as goals from Rodri, Gundogan and Mahrez saw the champions close the gap to three points of Arsenal
Manchester City produced a defiant response to the Premier League’s charge sheet as they comfortably beat Aston Villa 3-1 to close to within three points of leaders Arsenal on Sunday.
Goals by Rodri, Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez put the result beyond doubt by halftime as City got back on track following last weekend’s loss at Tottenham Hotspur.
With the club facing more than 100 charges relating to alleged financial misconduct the home fans were in belligerent mood at the Etihad Stadium with a series of ironic chants.
Pep Guardiola’s side needed only four minutes to take the lead when Rodri headed in Riyad Mahrez’s corner and they were cruising when Erling Haaland set up Gundogan in the 39th minute.
Villa were left with mission impossible when Mahrez tucked away a penalty in first-half stoppage time after Jacob Ramsey was adjudged to have tripped former Villa player Jack Grealish.
Ollie Watkins scored for the third successive league match to reduce the deficit on the hour mark and Villa also struck the woodwork through substitute Jhon Duran late on but City never looked in any real danger of dropping points.
.Earlier, late goals from Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho earned Manchester United a hard-fought 2-0 victory at Leeds. It meant United leap-frogged City into second place, but the Premier League champions then responded.
Man City respond to Premier League charges with familiar show of strength
Perhaps it only took the small matter of 115 Premier League charges, the prospect of expulsion from the division and being stripped of some of their titles for Pep Guardiola to pick something resembling his strongest side.
After a remarkable week, an unprecedented charge sheet and an extraordinary press conference performance from Guardiola came something more familiar: a rampant, dominant display from Manchester City. Guardiola had insisted their titles could not be taken from them and his side moved closer to a fifth Premier League crown under the Spaniard and a seventh in 12 seasons. Aston Villa were demolished before half-time. City are now only three points behind Arsenal and, with a superior goal difference, could leapfrog them at the top of the table with victory at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.
Maybe off-field issues concentrated the mind for Guardiola. City had been weakened by managerial choice of late. With Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, Aymeric Laporte and Ruben Dias recalled, they overwhelmed a side who had won their three previous away games. Strangely benched at Tottenham, De Bruyne was terrific. Gundogan played with a blend of class and purpose. City looked all the better for their return. Guardiola stopped playing games with his own side and City powered to victory, courtesy of an emphatic start.
Man City respond to Premier League charges with familiar show of strength
Man City 3-1 Aston Villa: The Premier League champions returned to the pitch and cut the gap to leaders Arsenal to three points ahead of Wednesday’s clash at the Emirates
FT Man City 3-1 Aston Villa
Ilkay Gundogan gave his reaction to Sky Sports following the match saying: “The three points today help but it will be a completely different game [against Arsenal].
“It will be a tough game with the two best teams in England at the moment.”
FT Man City 3-1 Aston Villa
Reaction from Manchester City’s Rodri who told Sky Sports: “Today was a game to show that we are in good shape, and from the first minute we did a great game. We are happy and now every game is a final for us.
“Here at the Etihad we feel if we score in the first minutes then the game is for us, so we are happy with the performance.
“We know there are a lot of games to go, but it’s a big one for us. We have to show we are better. They have been incredible but we made a step forward in this game, and we want to show the best version of Manchester City.”
FT Man City 3-1 Aston Villa
Manchester City have won each of their last 13 Premier League home games against Aston Villa by an aggregate scoreline of 41-7.
Man City 3-1 Aston Villa
Aston Villa have suffered back-to-back Premier League losses for the first time since Steven Gerrard’s final two games in charge in October.
This was their first away league defeat under Unai Emery (W3 L1).
Villa remain 11th in the table.
FT Man City 3-1 Aston Villa
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is the 29th manager to reach 250 Premier League games in charge.
His 184 wins are the most of any manager in their first 250 games. Jurgen Klopp is next on 160 wins.
Full-time: Man City 3-1 Aston Villa
90+4 mins: Manchester City get the job done at home. They’ve beaten Aston Villa and take all three points from this game putting them in a perfect position ahead of their clash against Arsenal this week.
If City were to win that match too they’ll go top of the table. This performance wasn’t top quality from the champions but they were destructive in the first half and earned their rewards.
Aston Villa responded well and Ollie Watkins got himself yet another goal. Looking for positives, he’s in brilliant form under Unai Emery.
Man City 3-1 Aston Villa
90+2 mins: Off the bar! Aston Villa take a chance with a long ball up the pitch. It bounces kindly for Jhon Duran who sneaks in behind Manuel Akanji and meets the ball on the swivel volleying it towards goal.
It’s a rocket of shot that leaves Ederson rooted to the spot as the ball nails the crossbar and bounces clear.
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