Man City vs Aston Villa LIVE: Premier League result and reaction as Phil Foden hat-trick continues title chase
City and Villa look to keep the pressure on at the top of the table as they clash at the Etihad Stadium
Sign up to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter sent straight to your inbox for free
Sign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter
Phil Foden’s sublime hat-trick fired Manchester City to victory against Aston Villa to keep up their pursuit of Arsenal and Liverpool at the top of the Premier League.
Mikel Areta’s side went top earlier on Wednesday evening with a win over Luton but the defending champions ensured they remained in touch with a strong 4-1 victory.
While it was a controlled collective performance, they had Foden to thank for a commanding victory. After Jhon Duran had responded to Rodri’s early opener, the England international curled home a free kick to nudge Manchester City in front just before the interval.
Foden then swept home from the edge of the box before producing a magnificent strike from distance to complete his hat-trick and secure all three points. It meant Pep Guardiola could leave Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne on the bench, with the two stars rested in a hectic fortnight of football.
Unai Emery’s visitors were without an injured Ollie Watkins and suspended John McGinn, and struggled to produce consistent threat. Aston Villa remain fourth, two points ahead of Tottenham, who have a game in hand.
Re-live all the action below, plus get the latest Premier League odds and tips right here:
Why Jack Grealish has reached a crossroads at Man City
Any encounter with his old employers always puts Jack Grealish in the spotlight, but, as Richard Jolly outlines, tonight’s game might be of even more importance to the ex-Aston Villa star:
The wrong kind of impact: Why Jack Grealish has reached a crossroads at Man City
As the £100m winger prepares to face Aston Villa, Grealish is enduring another difficult season under Pep Guardiola while his former club are reaping the benefits of his big-money move
Pep Guardiola reveals truth behind on-pitch confrontation with Jack Grealish: ‘I do it for the cameras’
Pep Guardiola impishly suggested his “ego” was responsible for a confrontation with Jack Grealish following Manchester City’s goalless draw against Arsenal at the weekend.
City drawing a blank at home against one of their Premier League title rivals on Sunday left them a point behind Arsenal and three adrift of leaders Liverpool with nine games of the season left.
At the full-time whistle, Guardiola was filmed in an animated discussion in the middle of the pitch with Grealish, who was brought on just after the hour mark in a fruitless bid to break the deadlock.
While Guardiola patted Grealish on the head before walking away, the episode has drawn plenty of scrutiny, which the Spaniard playfully took aim at ahead of City’s clash with Aston Villa tonight.
Pep Guardiola reveals truth behind on-pitch confrontation with Jack Grealish
The Manchester City manager sarcastically said his ‘ego’ was responsible after he approached Grealish in the middle of the pitch at full-time
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
Pep Guardiola labelled Erling Haaland the “best striker in the world” after the Manchester City frontman was likened to a League Two player by Roy Keane.
The former Manchester United captain made the observation in his role as a pundit for Sky Sports after Haaland drew a blank in City’s goalless draw against Premier League title rivals Arsenal on Sunday.
Keane concurred Haaland, top of the scoring charts after winning last season’s Golden Boot, is in a class of his own in front of goal but added his all-round game is “almost like a League Two player”.
Pep Guardiola hits back at Roy Keane’s criticism of ‘League Two’ Erling Haaland
Keane said Haaland’s all-round game is “almost like a League Two player” after Manchester City’s 0-0 draw with Arsenal
Good evening!
Welcome to The Independent’s coverage of tonight’s Premier League action as Manchester City host Aston Villa.
Following their 0-0 draw with Arsenal at the weekend Pep Guardiola’s champions know they cannot afford to drop points if they want to keep the pressure on Liverpool in the title race.
City are currently three behind the league leaders, who play tomorrow, and face a tricky task to defeat Unai Emery’s impressive Villa.
For their part, Villa are hoping to to cling on to fourth spot and will extend the gap over Spurs in fifth if they take any points away from the Etihad tonight. They must do so without Ollie Watkins though as the forward has been ruled out with a hamstring injury.
We’ll have all the team news, line-ups and updates throughout the evening so stick with us as we build up to kick off at 8.15pm
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies