… and that’s your lot. Thanks for reading this MBM!
Pep’s turn to speak to Sky. “It was a good game, we conceded just one goal to one shot on target. We were not precise enough on our final touches. The game was in our hands. They defended really well, so we drew. We were better after our goal. They were well organised, but for the way they defended, we created enough chances to score goals. Every game is difficult.”
He also reports that Kyle Walker picked up an injury and asked to be substituted.
Steven Gerrard speaks to Sky Sports. “I am very proud. The players have come together and put an incredible amount of effort and application into the game. They’ve followed instructions for the majority of the game. City are always going to have moments, and we had to ride our luck, but this is what we wanted out of the game, this was the game-plan we gave the boys, and they carried it out so well done to them. Sometimes you’ve got to put more legs in the team and sacrifice certain technical levels when you’re up against City. Regain the ball and run forward with power and speed. Buendia and Phil are different types of player. I’m not sure on the Coutinho goal, what went wrong there? I saw a legitimate goal, but then I may be biased. Why not wait? The referee did the same when Konsa challenged the goalkeeper. He was desperate on the whistle, and that’s twice it went against us.”
Ben Fisher was at Villa Park. His report has landed.
City fail in their bid to go top of the Premier League. Arsenal can now extend their lead at the top with a draw or a win at Manchester United tomorrow. Meanwhile Villa move out of the bottom three, having snapped their miserable run of three consecutive league defeats.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 5 | 9 | 15 |
| 2 | Man City | 6 | 14 | 14 |
| 3 | Tottenham Hotspur | 6 | 7 | 14 |
| 16 | Everton | 6 | -2 | 4 |
| 17 | Aston Villa | 6 | -5 | 4 |
| 18 | West Ham | 6 | -5 | 4 |
FULL TIME: Aston Villa 1-1 Manchester City
A precious point for Aston Villa and their under-fire manager Steven Gerrard. Meanwhile more points dropped on the road by the champions, and no third consecutive hat-trick for Erling Haaland.
90 min +3: Gundogan brings down a diagonal pass and enters the Villa box from the right. Digne gets across his line and purchases a cheap free kick. The crowd’s celebration is roughly the level of half a goal.
90 min +2: Watkins works his way down the left before looking for Coutinho at the near post. Ake gets in the way to put a stop to Villa’s gallop.
90 min +1: The Villa goalscorer Bailey is replaced by Buendia. “The point may be moot, but why on earth was the (incorrect) offside on Coutinho called before the phase of play ended?” wonders Puneet Varier. “I thought the PL had moved away from that and wanted to let play continue? I honestly think he’d have scored that either way, but now we’ll never know.”
90 min: Foden has a slap shot from inside a crowded box. Martinez parries brilliantly, but the offside flag goes up again. There will be four added minutes.
88 min: Mahrez is released into the Villa box on the right. He drags a shot across the face of goal and out for a goal kick. Haaland inches away from poking home. But the flag goes up for offside anyway, and Gundogan was indeed off. Speaking of offsides, they’ve shown replays of the Coutinho non-goal, and he was definitely not offside during the build-up. An incorrect flag. But it’s also clear that the referee had stopped play a beat before Coutinho took aim, and City’s defenders visibly stopped. What would have happened had play been allowed to continue? We’ll never know.
87 min: Rodri is given far too much space and time, 25 yards out. He lines up his shot before dragging it wide left from the edge of the D. He had to work Martinez at the very least. He’s allowed Villa to get away with one there.
86 min: Haaland one-twos with Foden down the inside-left channel, but Konsa holds his position and City can’t break through.
85 min: It’s become a bit scrappy, which may suit Villa better than City as they look to claim a precious point. However, having said that… “It’ll end 2-1 to City,” predicts Dean Potter. “The Arsenal goalkeeper diaspora has, so far, lost 2-1 today to their old team’s rivals: Bernd Leno of Fulham surrendered two to Spurs; Lukasz Fabianski of West Ham likewise to Chelsea. I regret to inform Villa fans that Emi Martinez is due to ship another.”
83 min: Watkins leaves one on Cancelo, who goes down, and isn’t happy. The referee waves play on. “Whoever came up with the €60 million figure for Haaland’s release clause at Dortmund has had better days at the office,” opines Simon McMahon. “I reckon a few Premiership clubs could be persuaded to pay that much for me in the January transfer window.”
81 min: Walker is replaced by Ake.
79 min: Villa fancy this now. Coutinho picks up possession, dances left to right across the face of the City box, and buries a shot into the top right! But the whistle had gone a split second before, for a dubious-looking offside. Had play been allowed to go on, that offside decision may have been overturned. But it wasn’t, and City stopped, so the point is moot.
78 min: Martinez goes down holding his left hip. He immediately makes the hand-jive mime – substitute me – but the physio comes on and pronounces him good to keep going.
76 min: Bailey’s shot wasn’t right in the top corner, but it was whipped past Ederson with such pace that it was never going to be stopped. Ederson had no time whatsoever to react.
75 min: … and that while City were pressing hard for their second. Funny old game.
GOAL! Aston Villa 1-1 Manchester City (Bailey 74)
Bailey missed a sitter earlier, but now he’s buried one into the top left! Ramsey picks up a loose ball and drives down the left. He looks up and rolls inside for Bailey, who opens his body and sidefoots powerfully past Ederson and into the top corner! The keeper had no chance, and Villa are back in it!
Updated
72 min: Silva has spent the last couple of minutes being tossed around like an old sock – Kamara clattered into him too – so Pep decides to rescue him. He’s replaced by Mahrez.
71 min: Digne is belatedly booked for a cynical check on Silva.
70 min: De Bruyne finds space down the left now. He slams his shot into his own man Haaland. City recycle possession, and this time Haaland tees up De Bruyne, who from the same flank whips a diagonal shot wide right.
68 min: De Bruyne strides into an absurd amount of space down the inside-right channel. He lays off to Haaland, who creams a shot towards the top right. Martinez parries clear at full stretch. The way this is now going, a second City goal is only a matter of time.
67 min: De Bruyne aims the free kick for the top-left corner. He gets the ball up over the wall, and back down … but only onto the top of the bar. Very close to a second for City. What an effort!
66 min: Haaland prepares to take a shot from the edge of the Villa D. He’s bundled over from behind by Mings. Free kick, in prime De Bruyne territory.
65 min: Coutinho comes on for the Villa captain McGinn.
64 min: Haaland wins the ball off Mings and lays off to Silva, who enters the box before letting Haaland take over again. Haaland spins and shoots. Martinez kicks clear. City come again. De Bruyne crosses from the right. Konsa heads clear under pressure from, who else, Haaland. He’s after that third consecutive hat-trick!
62 min: Stones gets on the end of the resulting corner, and tries to dribble his way through a thicket of players to make space for a shot. Goal kick.
61 min: Silva and De Bruyne combine again down the right. Their crisp exchange forces Mings into the concession of a corner.
59 min: Villa come again, Ramsey sending a low screamer wide of the left-hand post. This is a decent response to Haaland’s goal.
58 min: Ramsey robs Rodri in the centre circle. Suddenly he’s launching a two-on-one raid with Watkins! The pair one-two, and Ramsey is free in the box, just to the left of centre. But he takes a heavy touch, allowing Ederson to close him down and block. Ramsey goes over the keeper, making a half-baked claim for a penalty, but his heart’s not really in it. That’s great keeping, but Villa should be level.
56 min: Watkins chases a long ball down the left. Stones, the last man, comes across his line and buys a very cheap free kick off his opponent, who clatters into his back. Cunning, clever defence.
55 min: “You’re getting sacked in the morning,” trill the Manchester City fans, a number directed at the man in the Aston Villa dugout.
54 min: Villa will have been pleased with their first-half display, so you can imagine how that blow, quickly dealt by City, will have landed. Hard. The home side look visibly deflated, and can hardly get hold of the ball.
52 min: That’s ten goals in Haaland’s first six Premier League appearances, tying a record set by Micky Quinn of Coventry City. A fair chance this won’t be a jointly held record for very long.
Updated
GOAL! Aston Villa 0-1 Manchester City (Haaland 50)
… and then suddenly City spring into life! De Bruyne strides down the right, having been slipped away by Silva. De Bruyne sends a long, looping, swerving cross over Martinez and towards Haaland, who high-kicks into the net from a couple of yards. Simple as that!
Updated
49 min: See 47 min.
47 min: A fairly nondescript start to the half.
City get the second half underway. No half-time changes.
Half-time entertainment. “Over 90 fraught minutes Everton offered further evidence that the much-maligned Frank Lampard may finally be starting to make things happen.” Jonathan Liew was at Goodison for this season’s first Merseyside derby. Here’s his take.
HALF TIME: Aston Villa 0-0 Manchester City
… or the second. City started strongly, but Villa gained confidence as the half went on, and, given expectations, will be the happier of the two teams going into the break.
45 min +1: Not much happens in the first.
45 min: There will be two additional first-half minutes.
43 min: Luiz attempts to release Watkins down the middle. Dias intercepts. Villa are beginning to ask City a few questions.
42 min: Young, as a former Manchester United man, is getting pelters every time he receives the ball. The travelling support are making themselves heard.
40 min: De Bruyne strides into space down the middle. He rolls a pass down the inside-right channel for Haaland. Mings gets across just in time to batter clear. That’s a well-timed intervention.
39 min: From the resulting corner, Konsa is harshly penalised for going up against a flapping Ederson. The pressure on City is released.
Updated
38 min: Young launches a counter of his own, and Watkins drives at Stones down the inside-left channel. Watkins works just enough space to shoot, his low, diagonal effort bobbling off Stones and across the face of goal, inches wide of the right-hand post. So close!
Updated
37 min: McGinn crosses from the right. Dias heads clear. De Bruyne launches a counter down the left, but Young brushes him off the ball with great determination.
35 min: Cancelo is sent into space down the left by Foden’s delightful cushioned pass. In the centre, Haaland and De Bruyne prepare to tap home, but Cancelo’s low cross is easily snaffled by Martinez.
34 min: Martinez stutters with the ball at his feet, having been given a poor pass by Mings, and under extreme pressure from De Bruyne. He flips away from his six-yard box just in time.
32 min: To give Villa credit, they’ve broken up City’s rhythm during the last few minutes. Walker resorts to another long ball, hoping to find Haaland. Martinez again gathers on the edge of his box.
30 min: Cancelo nearly releases Haaland on goal with a long pass down the inside-left channel. Martinez comes out to the very edge of his box, claiming the ball with both hands on the white line. He puts the brakes on just in time. Had he slid out of the area, the referee would have had a decision to make.
29 min: Rodri cynically tugs Ramsey’s shirt, and is extremely lucky not to go into the book. Ramsey did him a favour by wriggling free and playing on.
27 min: Cash can’t continue, and makes way for Young. He leaves having been booked, as well, for not properly leaving the pitch after that session with the physio. Insult added to literal injury.
26 min: Cash battles on for now, and does well to hold off Foden, refusing to give him room down the left while hitching up the left leg of his shorts, presumably to get some cooling air on that flaming muscle.
24 min: Cash is up but it doesn’t look as though he’s going to be able to continue. He’s limping and grabbing the back of his leg.
22 min: Cash is down, holding his left thigh. A hamstring issue? The physio comes on to take a look and work his leg.
20 min: De Bruyne hits the corner long. Cancelo comes in from the right and volleys goalwards. The shot is deflected away from danger. David Beckham and Paul Scholes made this particular trick look easier than it is.
19 min: De Bruyne sends Foden scampering down the left. At full pelt, he skins Cash along the touchline, but can’t find anyone with his pullback. No matter, because City come again, Cancelo’s low drive deflected wide left for a corner.
17 min: Rodri clips Watkins out on the Villa left, and there’s a chance to pump the free kick into the box. Mings wins a header, but Ramsey can’t get to the knockdown and City clear their lines.
15 min: Villa secure their point under the Matthew Stephens Plan.
14 min: De Bruyne curls in from the right. Gundogan gets ahead of McGinn, but can’t connect. Had he done so, he’d have surely poked home from six yards. “Surely you should get a point for preventing Haaland from scoring a hat-trick in the first 15 minutes?” asks Matthew Stephens. It’s not a completely unreasonable idea, is it.
13 min: BREAKING NEWS. City misplace a pass. After a long, patient sequence, Gundogan clanks one out for a throw to Villa.
12 min: Mings bashes a header clear. City are beginning to purr now, while the rest of Villa Park starts to grumble ominously. Sky flash up a stat that goes some way to explaining their concern: City have completed 118 passes to Villa’s 14.
Updated
11 min: Rodri crosses long from the right. Foden, just inside the box, should trap and shoot, but inexplicably allows the ball to rear up onto his hand. Villa clear, so there’s no whistle, but City come again, and Gundogan wins a corner out right. De Bruyne to take.
9 min: Gundogan picks up possession in the centre circle and slips De Bruyne into space down the middle. He takes a couple of strides before lashing fiercely past the left-hand post. That was close. The champions have established control after Villa’s two minutes of fame.
8 min: De Bruyne drops deep, quarterbacking from the right-back position. He very nearly releases Gundogan down the middle with a smoothly struck rake. Not far away at all, but the pass is a smidgen too strong.
6 min: Konsa looks to pick a pass, but he’s hassled and harried by Haaland, who closes down the options and isn’t afraid to do the dirty work. Villa eventually ship possession and City start that possession thing they do.
4 min: … so having said that, City should be leading. Haaland holds the ball up down the inside-right channel and lays off for Gundogan. He lets Silva take over. Silva flicks further down the channel to release Walker into the box. Walker could roll across to tee up Haaland, but has a blaze himself instead. He’s within his right, but hoicks over. What a chance! Villa cut open with absurd ease.
2 min: Watkins tries to send Bailey clear down the right. Ederson comes out to clear his lines, in a slightly unsure but ultimately successful fashion. Villa will be happy with their confident start.
29 sec: Digne crosses dangerously from the left. Dias gets a small flick to ensure the ball doesn’t drop anywhere near Watkins or Bailey. That would have been quite the eye-opening start.
Villa get the ball rolling. City will attack the Holte End during this first half. Meanwhile, Phil Grey is in a mischievous mood: “If Haaland scores two, do you think Pep would have the cojones to sub him? Or the collons, if that’s what it is in Catalan.”
The teams are out! Villa wear their traditional claret and blue. City sport third-choice neon lime. Anticipation crackles around Villa Park. We’ll be off in a couple of minutes!
Pep Guardiola talks to Sky. “When we came here last season we won so tight. We won 3-2 at home and everyone knows how difficult it was. There are qualities in Villa and physicality. I trained players in Barcelona who improved when they were 29 and 30. Imagine at 22 how Erling Haaland can improve.”
He also confirms that Manuel Akanji misses the match today because his wife has just given birth to a baby boy.
Steven Gerrard speaks to Sky Sports. “Douglas Luiz has my backing. I’m well aware of the talent he’s got. He’s a bright boy, he understood the situation. Between ourselves, his representation and the player, we’ve known the situation throughout the summer and there’s been respect on both sides. We couldn’t lose the player in the final moments of the window, and our owner stayed strong. Just like the Carney Chukwuemeka situation, our owners have sent a message loud and clear. It goes without saying we’ll have to work extremely hard out of possession, but it’s important we have technicians in there who can keep the ball and play through the counter press. Manchester City are a world-class outfit, and we’ll have to get everything perfect to have an outside chance.”
He also reports that Leander Dendoncker has tonsillitis.
Tottenham Hotspur’s 2-1 victory over Fulham this afternoon means Manchester City kick off in third spot. Aston Villa start the match in the relegation places.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Tottenham Hotspur | 6 | 7 | 14 |
| 3 | Man City | 5 | 14 | 13 |
| 4 | Brighton | 5 | 3 | 10 |
| 18 | Nottm Forest | 6 | -10 | 4 |
| 19 | Aston Villa | 5 | -5 | 3 |
| 20 | Leicester | 5 | -5 | 1 |
Aston Villa make one change from the side that went down 2-1 at Arsenal. Douglas Luiz replaces Emiliano Buendia, who drops to the bench. New signing Jan Bednarek is on the bench, but Leander Dendoncker isn’t in the squad.
Manchester City also make one change. It’s the same team that started the 6-0 rout of Nottingham Forest, but with Kevin de Bruyne instead of Julian Alvarez. Former Villa favourite Jack Grealish returns to his old stomping ground on the subs bench.
The teams
Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne, Ramsey, Kamara, McGinn, Douglas Luiz, Watkins, Bailey.
Subs: Ings, Buendia, Chambers, Augustinsson, Young, Bednarek, Coutinho, Olsen, Archer.
Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Dias, Joao Cancelo, Gundogan, Rodri, Bernardo Silva, De Bruyne, Foden, Haaland.
Subs: Ake, Grealish, Ortega, Alvarez, Gomez, Mahrez, Palmer, Lewis, Wilson-Esbrand.
Referee: Simon Hooper (Wiltshire).
Preamble
Should Erling Haaland score three or more goals this evening, he’ll become the first player in England’s top flight to notch hat-tricks in three consecutive matches since Liverpool’s Jack Balmer in 1946. Three against Portsmouth, four against Derby, three against Arsenal, en route to Liverpool’s fifth title, since you ask. Would you bet too much money against Haaland matching his Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest hauls against this disorganised and dispirited Aston Villa side? No, us neither. Haaland chases a little bit of history from 5.30pm BST. It’s on!
