Aston Villa deepen Manchester City’s woes with resounding victory at Villa Park

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Manchester City’s struggles continued as they suffered a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa, compounding their Premier League troubles.

Goals from Jhon Duran and Morgan Rogers secured Villa’s triumph, while Phil Foden’s late strike was mere consolation for the visitors.

This latest setback sees City drop to sixth, nine points adrift of leaders Liverpool, who have played two fewer matches. Meanwhile, Villa leapfrogged City into fifth, keeping their hopes of a top-four finish alive.

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City’s dismal form persists, with nine losses in their last 12 games across all competitions and an eight-match away winless streak. Pep Guardiola, desperate for a turnaround, made six changes from last week’s Manchester derby loss, but his team once again delivered a lacklustre performance.

Villa, coming off a poor run with only three wins in their previous 11 league matches, capitalised on City’s vulnerabilities. Their solid performance kept City at bay, with highly-rated Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez denying Foden in the first half. Villa’s incisive attacking exposed City’s fragile backline time and again.

The hosts signaled their intent from the start, forcing City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega into action twice within the first minute. Ortega, deputizing for the injured Ederson, made an incredible save to push Pau Torres’ header onto the bar after thwarting Duran moments earlier.

Villa’s breakthrough came in the 16th minute when Youri Tielemans threaded a superb through-ball to Morgan Rogers. The forward unselfishly squared it for Duran, who slotted home past Ortega with ease.

City’s attempts to respond lacked urgency, and Villa extended their lead in the 65th minute. Rogers, once on City’s books but without a senior appearance, calmly finished to put the game out of reach.

Though Foden found the net in injury time, it was too little, too late. Villa’s victory ensures they are strongly in the push for European qualification, while City’s season continues to unravel under mounting pressure.

Tags: Aston Villa, Manchester City, Morgan Rogers, Jhon Duran, Phil Foden, Pau Torres, Stefan Ortega, #NewsRoundTheClock, #nrtcnewsnigeria, #nrtcnews, #nrtcsports, #nrtcnigeria.