Aston Villa 2-1 Manchester City Player Ratings as the Villans pull off a great win against an uninspired City side

In what was a big clash for the Top 4 race in the Premier League, Manchester City took on Aston Villa at Villa Park. Ahead of the game, it was expected that the match would be a difficult one considering City’s run of form as of late and the game unfolded like what many would have imagined. 

For the most part, Man City did well to control the ball and threaten the Villa defense. However, Villa were resilient in holding out and played out through the midfield, catching out City’s high line from time to time. Both Villa goals came from their midfield, with the first being made by a beautiful through pass by Tielemans and the second a mazy run from Morgan Rogers. 

Whilst City pulled back a goal with Phill Foden, it was certainly too little too late. That said, Villa once again renewed their hopes of making the Top 4 in successive seasons, whilst Man City needs to come up with a plan to salvage what’s left of their season.

Aston Villa Player Ratings vs Man City 

Goalkeeper

Emi Martinez: 7/10- Tested from range a fair few times and dealt with them with relative ease. Had to make a few brave collects and hoof the ball away from danger, doing so without any problems or causing any panic in the backline.

Defenders 

Matty Cash: 6/10- Hassled and kept Grealish in check for a while but was guilty of being unnecessarily rash at times. Was dealt with quite handily a couple of times and had to be much more reserved after picking up an early yellow. 

Pau Torres: 6.5/10- Solid at the back and with the ball at his feet. He nullified Haaland for large parts of the game and was up to the task whenever he was challenged aerially.

Ezri Konsa: 6/10- Overconfident playing from the back and with the ball at his feet. Did have a few lapses of concentration during tricky moments but was mostly up to whatever was required of him.

Lucas Digne: 6.5/10- Struggled at times but was also quite solid at the back, having a good tussle with Silva from time to time. Bombed forward on a few occasions and was always giving his teammates an option on the left flank. 

Midfielders

Amadou Onana: 6.5/10- Poor on the ball and in possession today, at times getting puzzled about what to do with the ball at his feet. Regardless, did his main duty of disrupting play and turning over the ball in midfield which is what he did. 

Boubacar Kamara: 6.5/10- Put in to add some steel in the Villa midfield and partnered Onana well to do exactly that. Got stuck in defensively and was vital in how his side managed to quickly transition from defence to attack. 

Youri Tielemans: 7.5/10- Threaded a beautiful ball through the City backline for the first goal. Helped keep the ball for his side and managed the tempo of the team quite well. Was key in turning defence to attack and played brilliant through balls time and again to test the visitors. 

Attackers

John McGinn: 7/10- Slightly indecisive at times with the ball at his feet, and could well have found a teammate had he played some of the passes quicker. Did not do too much wrong or make any big mistakes but held on to the ball a tad longer than he needed to. 

Morgan Rogers: 8/10 Did well out on the left-hand side of the attack today, getting his side up the pitch and making the occasional run in behind the defense. Unselfishly laid the ball on a platter for Duran to finish off for Villa’s 1st goal. Took his goal extremely well as well. 

Jhon Durán: 7.5/10- Took his goal extremely well and was a constant threat to the City defense from minute one. Started the game on fire, took his goal well, and was even dropping back to help win the ball back for his side and contribute in defence. 

Substitutes

Ollie Watkins: N/A 

Emi Buendia: N/A

Manager

Unai Emery: 7.5/10- Came in with a solid game plan and made some key changes in the way he set up his side. Recognized City’s deficiencies and targeted them well. Outmatched his opposite tactically and fully deserved the win.

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Man City Player Ratings vs Aston Villa 

Goalkeeper

Stefan Ortega: 6.5/10- Barring a few nervy moments when he nearly got caught in possession, did what he had to in terms of playing out from the back. Could have done better for the second goal, but that may have been too much of an ask. 

Defenders 

Joško Gvardiol: 6/10- Had a very shaky start to the game and very nearly led to another goal. Managed to grow back into the game and had a strong finish to the first half. 

John Stones: 7/10- Did well to keep things secure at the back for the most part but was caught out for the first goal, much like the rest of the backline. Did not come out for the second half with suspicions of another injury. 

Manuel Akanji: 7/10- Made a few crunching tackles in the backline and averted any attacking developments down his side. Recovered well at times and was City’s best defender on the evening. 

Rico Lewis: 6.5/10- Struggled with the physical aspect of the game and with keeping up with his man at times. Added a bit of control in the midfield when playing from the left and the right full-back positions.  

Midfielders  

Mateo Kovačić: 6.5/10- Offered some stability for his side in the middle of the park but was at times outdone by the Villa midfielders in terms of being able to keep the ball or preventing a line-breaking pass. 

İlkay Gündoğan: 6/10- Involved in the build-up but couldn’t really apply the killer pass that was needed. Was easily outmatched in terms of pace and lacked a certain steel that was needed to win the midfield battle. 

Phil Foden: 7.5/10- Easily the best City player on the night, managing to get a few shots off through the backline. Could not link too well with Haaland on the night but did well to push through the Villa defence for his goal. 

Attackers            

Bernardo Silva: 6.5/10- Started the game on the right flank and found some success initially. Needed to be a little more incisive with his movement and passing though, which is likely why he was brought into midfield later on. 

Jack Grealish: 7/10- Certainly the busier of the two wingers and easily the more effective. Drove into the Villa box with intent a number of times and managed to draw a lot of fouls. Did carelessly lose the ball in dangerous areas a couple of times though. 

Erling Haaland: 6/10- Absent and struggling to get involved for large parts of the game. Did not have a single touch in the opposition box for about 90 minutes and faded even more in the second half. Could not out-muscle the opposition defenders and impose his physicality either.

Substitutes

Kyle Walker: N/A

Savinho: N/A

Jeremy Doku: N/A

Manager 

Pep Guardiola: 6.5/10- Continues to be outdone by his opponent number and has become increasingly easy to play against in recent weeks. Needs to set up his side better in the coming games or else his side continue slipping down the table.

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