Manchester City suffered a big blow in their title defence race as Leon Bailey’s deflected strike in the 74th minute earned Aston Villa a 1-0 win over Premier League champions at Villa Park on Wednesday night.
The Jamaican international struck a deserved winner 16 minutes from time as Unai Emery put one over Pep Guardiola at the 14th attempt as Villa picked up a deserved 1-0 win in the Premier League.
The win moved Villa, who have now won 14 consecutive home Premier League matches, into third place in the Premier League table.
City missed the influence of the suspended Rodri, having lost their last five games when the Spaniard was unavailable.
Erling Haaland failed to convert two chances in the first half as City dropped to fourth in the table and are now six points adrift of leaders Arsenal.
Guardiola’s City side have now gone four Premier League games without a win for the first time in more than seven years.
The two managers had gone head to head 13 times in the past and Villa’s boss had never been on the winning side. But that changed as Villa sent out a message that they are a force to be reckoned with this season.
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Emery is doing a fantastic job at Villa, and their decisive victory over the defending champions may be the best example of his influence yet.
Villa achieved their 14th consecutive home league victory thanks to a superior performance combined with their manager’s signature fiery intensity and organisation.
Villa’s 22 attempts on Ederson’s goal are the most Guardiola has seen his team face since taking over at City; the visitors’ meagre two attempts overall were a genuine testament to their supremacy.
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