Matheus Nunes scored a dramatic 94th minute goal to secure a late victory for Manchester City against fellow Champions League hopefuls Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium.
Pep Guardiola was ecstatic on the touchline seeing his makeshift right back gamble at the back post to turn home Jérémy Doku’s incredible cross.
City had opened the scoring through Bernardo Silva early on before a controversial penalty was awarded to Unai Emery’s side, after VAR intervention deemed Rúben Dias to have clipped Jacob Ramsey in the area. Marcus Rashford subsequently converted from the spot for The Villans, but his side couldn’t hang on to an important point in the hunt for Champions League football.
As it happened
The visitors nearly recreated their start against Newcastle United, as Rashford hit the post within 17 seconds after turning Dias inside out after Youri Tielemans played the Villa front man in on goal. However, it was the hosts who took an early lead with their first shot on target.
In the seventh minute, Omar Marmoush was found free on the left channel by Mateo Kovačić and the Egyptian sized up Matty Cash before driving past him to the byline and pulling the ball back into the area for the arriving Silva, who fired goalward. Emiliano Martínez tried to palm with both hands, which saw the ball deflect off his trailing foot and into the net.
Embed from Getty ImagesTen minutes later, referee Craig Pawson was asked to view the VAR monitor after Dias clipped Ramsey, who was darting into the area. The on-field decision had been overturned to a chorus of boos from the City faithful and Guardiola saw yellow for his remonstrations with the fourth official. Manchester United loanee Rashford stepped up and sent Stefan Ortega the wrong way to bring The Villans level.
Following the equaliser, chances were few and far between for the remainder of the half, although The Citizens did create two notable opportunities. Some patient play led to Marmoush clipping the ball in for the advancing Kevin De Bruyne, who got his head on the cross before Martínez comfortably claimed his effort. Marmoush himself should then have done better with an excellent Nico O’Reilly, delivery but his header was poor and didn’t call Martínez into action.
The hosts did start to make inroads after the hour mark, as James McAtee was inches away from an outrageous lob over Martínez following a swift counter-attack. The youngster delicately plucked the ball out of the air with a sensational first touch and, from 25-yards out, attempted a volleyed lob over the Argentine between the sticks. The Etihad was waiting for it to nestle into the net, only for the ball to just drift wide of the post.
Embed from Getty ImagesMinutes later, Kovačić had an effort through a crowd of bodies which was well claimed by Martínez. In an instant down the other end of the pitch, Villa advanced with Rashford found darting into the right channel. As Ortega came off his line into no man’s land, the Englishman rounded him, but the angle was tight and his effort ended up hitting the side netting.
McAtee had one more opportunity before being substituted, as O’Reilly delivered an inch-perfect cross along the turf for the winger, who took a big-swing-and-a-miss at the ball before it ricocheted off his standing leg and fell kindly to the keeper.
With time running out in Manchester, City pushed for a winner and, in the 94th minute, the Etihad erupted. Substitute Doku was the architect, sending in an exceptional trivela cross across the six-yard-box. At the back post, Nunes gambled and applied the finishing touch.
Embed from Getty ImagesGuardiola was perhaps the most animated he had been all season as he celebrated the late winner vigorously, and with good reason: his side had snatched all three points at the death in this crucial match in the pursuit of Champions League football.
The result sees Guardiola’s men rise up to third on 61 points, while Villa remain in seventh, level with Chelsea on 57 points. Up next for both teams are trips to Wembley in the FA Cup semi-finals, as City take on Nuno Espírito Santo’s Nottingham Forest, while Villa face off against Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace.
The lineups
MCI: Ortega; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly; Kovačić, Silva, Gündoğan; McAtee, De Bruyne; Marmoush
AVI: Martínez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Onana, Kamara; Ramsey, Tielemans, Rogers; Rashford