Matheus Nunes scored a stop-time winner for Manchester City, earning a dramatic 2-1 victory over Aston Villa, finishing third in the Premier League table.
It sparked a scene of celebration jubilation inside Etihad Stadium.
Bernardo Silva moved ahead early in the city, but Marcus Rashford, who hit the post 17 seconds later, leveled for the villa from the penalty spot after Jacob Ramsey’s VAR intervention for a foul by Reuben Diaz. City kept pushing the winner.
Nunes discovers it, and his goal means the city is one point ahead of Nottingham Forest at Champions League spots. Unai Emery’s villa is still in 7th place. The race remains close. But this was a big moment for the city.
For more accessible video players, use the Chrome browser
Val intervenes and Manchester City’s Hume handed over Aston Villa to penalize him
For more accessible video players, use the Chrome browser
Matheus Nunes wins it for Manchester City with a significant outcome against Aston Villa
How it unfolded in Etihad
“He made a big call,” Roy Keene said before kicking off with Emery’s decision to start Rashford before Ollie Watkins, who was impressed by his past two Premier League performances. However, Rashford was a live wire for the opening seconds.
He hit the post after 17 people. This warned early on the villa’s ability to cause problems in the city. But the job at Villa became even more difficult when Emiliano Martinez somehow allowed Silva’s shot to overtake him after a good job of wideouts from Omar Marmash.
Guardiola chose to play Silva alongside Mateo Kovacic in the middle, with Kevin de Bruin and Ilcay Gandogan ahead of them. The quartet is over 30 years old and offers the true control it possesses, but the city becomes sensitive to attacks – so it has been proven.
Craig Pawson never found in real time that Diaz had tripped Ramsey, but VAR’s intervention resulted in a penalty scored by Rashford. It’s been more than 20 years since City recognized these many goals at home during the Premier League season. But they’re solving it.
It was Guardiola’s side who pushed hard for the winner, and James McAtee desperately approached with a lob spread over Martinez. Rashford rolled up Stefan Ortega before hitting the side net, but the pressure accumulated in the villa.
Ultimately, Jeremy Doc introduced as a key-proven alternative, finding space in the bottom left and playing the charming ball behind the backline at hand for Nunes to finish. Nunes was just there, playing as a right back and talking volume.
“You can’t imagine City and Guardiola not being a Champions League,” Gary Neville said in advance. On the night when many fans inside the stadium felt this was on the line, their team was enough to finish off the Villa’s incredible form of run.
What the player said…
Man City Match Winner Matheus Nunes Talking to Sky Sports:
“This game was important. It’s a very tough game against tough opponents. It brought the mindset you need to win.
“Perfect timing! It wouldn’t have come at a better time. You’ll see it at the end of the season. That’s very important.”
Man City Defender Reuben Diaz Talking to Sky Sports:
“They are running in the top five with us. A special game to score three points. You can go to four games and all of them become very important. We’re continuing.
“We know how tight it is and how tough it is to the end. We can’t quantify the importance of today.
“This means everything to us. We know exactly what situation we are in. The top 4-5 means everything. This is our main trophy. We have the FA Cup and the Club World Cup, but this is everything to us.”
Aston Villa Midfielder Your Tireman Talking to Sky Sports:
“It’s frustrating to lose at the last minute. We fought really hard. We blocked almost everything. It’s frustrating. We get our first chance, and we’ll be the last. They score.
“We have four games left. We hope we give everything in Champions League positions and come back to where we want to be.”
For more accessible video players, use the Chrome browser
Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola says his side is not used to winning last minute winners!
What the manager said…
Man City Head Coach Pep Guardiola Talking to Sky Sports:
“We’re not used to it! The final victory belongs to Liverpool. I’m really happy because we’re not used to it. We’re in the last four games. Champions League contenders like Aston Villa are one of the top teams in Europe.
“We played very well, we were offensive in the duels and the back four was incredible, and we are really pleased.
“Soccer is an emotional. We’re really happy because the last two games were so difficult. I was very happy. I had to admit that! 1-1 wasn’t a bad result, so don’t lose.
“The team fought a lot. The performance was really good. It’s a great team.
“The season was bad. It doesn’t matter if you finish in the Finals or the Champions League. It’s the Premier League that made you feel better. That happens, and sometimes there are bad seasons. Liverpool is the champion and the team’s level is outstanding.”
For more accessible video players, use the Chrome browser
Roy Keene believes Man City can still have a good season despite Pep Guardiola’s disappointment
Aston Villa Manager Unai emery Talking to Sky Sports:
“We can’t waste time. We competed well and got closer to the painting. We tried to win with the alternative. They did the same thing and scored.
“We had a competitive game and we had a chance, and we had to accept that.
“It’s the moment when you’re positive. We’ll analyze the match. We’ll try to concentrate on Saturday’s match. [FA Cup semi-final].
“We’re playing at this level and we’re trying to compete. We’re trying to demand that we build a strong structure. Today we played and competed, and I’m very happy. We can’t waste our time.”
