Jamie Jackson’s report is here, so I’ll say my goodbyes. Thanks to all those who messaged in, and to those who didn’t … I still love you. Cheers!
Phil Foden speaks to TNT and says he prefers playing through the middle. He’s loving his football at the moment (as you’d expect), been working on all aspects in midfield – though not actually practising free-kicks. Says he just felt confident at the time and asked Álvarez if he could have a go. “It paid off in the end.”
He is most animated when talking about the brilliance of his colleague, Rodri. “He can do everything. For me, he’s our most important player.”
Gary has the definitive answer.
‘Where should Foden play for England’ @tahahash?
— Gary Naylor 85 (@garynaylor85) April 3, 2024
In Germany.
Ben Dunn writes in: “Do you play Stones in the same way for England as Man City? Probably not. Is he as good in the England role as he is for City? Not really, no. Foden looks great in his City role. There isn’t that role in the England team. Is he as good for England as for City? No.” So … where would you play him, Ben?
Benjamin Park unpicks the Foden conundrum: “Doesn’t that question ultimately depend on who plays alongside Declan Rice. Striker Kane, right wing Saka and ten Bellingham, these positions are set. Unless you’d put him alongside Rice or as and 8 next to Bellingham, he has to be on the left wing. Both of those initial options, while I have to doubt he’d do a good job, I feel like you’d lose more than you gain.”
FULL-TIME: Manchester City 4-1 Aston Villa
The show goes on. Phil Foden sparkled with a hat-trick and Villa couldn’t cope with the champions. No one is willing to slip up in this remarkable title race. Foden takes the match ball to add to a growing collection.
Updated
90+3 min: Sergio Gómez drifts into the box and hits it first-time after a ball in from the left – he rattles the post.
“Please don’t bring Haaland on for the last minute,” pleads Crispin (and I’m sure many others). “It will screw with my fantasy points total.”
90+1 min: A deep corner nearly lands on the foot of the sprinting Alex Moreno, but he can’t get on it to threaten the City goal. We have four minutes of added time.
89 min: Akanji finds Grealish, who slides in a ball for Bobb, whose miscue inside the box discovers Álvarez. He tries and tries, but he can’t beat Olsen – who has had a fine game for someone who has conceded four goals.
86 min: We continue, City cruising, Villa still hustling, everyone knowing the end result. Meanwhile Michael Hunt asks: “We all agreed I think that Foden was the control group in the great Sancho experiment of what would happen if you left a big academy to get some first team action elsewhere. Off this do we conclude that, 300 trophies at the age of 23 or whatever later, people should show no ambition, stay put (and hope that you turn out to be a genuine generational talent)?”
83 min: Bobb is shown off the ball by Digne, with Villa getting a goalkick.
“Where does Foden play ?” asks Ian Sargeant. “Ahead of Henderson in more ways than one......”
“Tonight is the night when Man City drop out of the title race and with that their confidence to leave them with a trophy less season,” writes James Roe. I’m presuming that email was stuck in his outbox for the last 90 mins.
80 min: Off comes the outstanding Foden, on comes Bobb. Doku gets a breather too.
Updated
79 min: Doku plays a lovely ball down the right for Rico Lewis to find, and Foden has it once again, trying to make it four (Jeremy, that’s insane).
78 min: Konsa goes down in the City box after colliding with Nunes, but no penalty given.
77 min: Zaniolo hops off for Villa, on comes Kellyman.
75 min: Kovacic and Matheus Nunes come on for City. Bernardo and Rodri depart.
74 min: Grealish sends in a delicious ball across the six-yard box … but there’s no one there to tuck it in.
Updated
72 min: Cue the ‘Where should Foden play for England?’ conversation. Let’s hear you views, my people.
Foden goes down in the D, doesn’t get a free-kick but finds the ball at his feet just moments later in the same region. This time he just puts his foot through it and into the top corner past Olsen, who is statuesque – he ain’t saving it. Hat-trick for Phil Foden.
Updated
GOAL! Manchester City 4-1 Aston Villa (Foden 69)
Now that really is ridiculous.
Updated
68 min: City are gunning for more, with Rodri firing in a shot with his left foot that is blocked away.
67 min: Villa have made a raft of changes by the way, bringing on Tielemans, Bailey and Chambers a few minutes ago.
65 min: Rico Lewis sees the ball bounce up perfectly for him to hit inside the box, but he fires wide.
It’s Foden’s goal, but this is all about Rodri. The big, hulking midfielder has some rather silky feet, too, jinking past players on the edge of the box before laying the ball off for Foden. The left-footed finish is delicate, into the bottom corner, and surely enough for the three points.
Updated
GOAL! Manchester City 3-1 Aston Villa (Foden 62)
And it’s Foden once again!
Updated
61 min: Doku has space to run into and plays a one-two with Foden before he’s forced to retreat, Villa recovering their defensive shape.
59 min: Terrific feet from Foden who nearly skips through the entire middle, his mazy work ended by the final outfield Villa shirt in front of him; Diego Carlos is his side’s saving grace.
Updated
57 min: Doku slides in a pass to Grealish who finally decides to cut in and shoot … but it’s blocked by a Villa shirt.
56 min: Lenglet flicks on the header and Ortega saves well again! The keeper is suddenly into action and he’s doing a fine job for City.
55 min: Doku twists and turns but Villa break … and Ortega saves! Zaniolo played a fine pass to split open City and Douglas Luiz eventually found himself in the box with just the keeper to beat. Ortega tipped it over for a corner.
Updated
53 min: Doku decides to have a go with his left foot, but it’s straight at Olsen. McCoist, terrific on TNT, marvels at the speed of the winger’s feet.
51 min: Foden finds a pocket of space and slides in a ball to Lewis on the edge of the box, who tries to split Villa open with a backheel. No dice.
50 min: Villa set up camp, not allowing Doku to beat his man out on the right.
48 min: Digne thumps a cross in from the left for Villa but Ortega collects. City respond well, with Foden sliding in Bernardo for a shot in the box … Olsen makes himself big to pull off a terrific save.
47 min: Iroegbunam does well to cut out a City pass and Villa break forward.
46 min: Away we go again.
My half-time team talk for Villa? Just pump it long, lads – give your man Durán a chance against that high City line. He’s shown he can take them.
I see things are going well at the Emirates for Mikel’s boys. Not long left there.
HALF-TIME: Manchester City 2-1 Aston Villa
City deservedly lead but Villa will be annoyed with themselves, having got back into the game after a dominant start from the hosts included an opener from Rodri. Durán, Villa’s goalscorer, has posed a threat on the rare occasion the ball has landed in the City half, but the champions remain in control thanks to Foden’s free-kick.
Updated
45+5 min: City desire a third before the break, staying patient before a ball is stood up for Álvarez to head from close range. Olsen tips it over.
Foden steps up for the free-kick and curls it in, with Olsen barely moving. Well, that’s not really the keeper’s fault – Villa’s wall broke open inbetween Konsa and Zaniolo, a space opening up for the City midfielder to comfortably find the target.
Updated
GOAL! Manchester City 2-1 Aston Villa (Foden 45+1)
And they’re back in front.
Updated
45 min: Douglas Luiz, on a yellow, commits a foul on the edge of the City box. He brought down Foden from behind but that’s surely not another yellow. The ref agrees with me.
44 min: Durán is back up and play goes on with Foden embarking on a mazy dribble into the Villa box … but City are frustrated once again, a free-kick given the other way.
43 min: Durán is clutching his head after colliding with Dias when trying to get on the end of a long punt foward.
40 min: Foden twists and turns on the edge of the box but is removed off the ball.
39 min: Álvarez shapes up for a shot … and hits it over the bar.
Updated
37 min: A top save from Olsen with his right foot against Álvarez before Grealish, driving forward, wins a free-kick on the edge of the box. Luiz gets a yellow for hauling him down.
36 min: Grealish continues to cut in from the left and opt against the shot … much to the annoyance of Ally McCoist on comms.
35 min: Durán does well to hold up the ball by the halfway line but goes down too easily and the ref tells him to get back up.
34 min: Grealish cuts back to Bernardo in the box whose own cross is blocked. Villa have every man behind the ball as City’s attacks are cut out.
32 min: Grealish’s fury has cost him: he receives a yellow card.
31 min: Grealish is furious after a foul is given against him, with Douglas Luiz the man on the floor.
30 min: Doku is felled after a fine turn but no foul is given and Villa break. They’re forced back by City’s retreat but a long ball finds Diaby on the right who can’t pick out a teammate with a low cross.
28 min: Villa’s backline is resolute as City look for an opening and Zaniolo does well to chest a Grealish cross back to Olsen.
26 min: Foden is dispossessed and Villa break, but Gvardiol puts in a fine challenge to halt their drive forward.
24 min: Grealish smashes a volley into the ground, and it goes wide of Olsen … though I think the keeper got fingertips on it. It’s given as a goalkick, though.
Updated
23 min: Doku shows off his quick feet on the right and fires in his cross, but Olsen does well to hold on.
It’s a wonderful one-two between Durán and Rogers, with the forward skipping into the box from the left-hand side and slotting in low past Ortega. Durán has been lively so far and that’s a fine finish.
Updated
GOAL! Manchester City 1-1 Aston Villa (Durán 20)
Hold up. Villa are back in it!
17 min: City have calmed down a bit since that opening goal … and just as I type that they explode forward, with Grealish looking particularly impressive down the left-hand side.
14 min: Out of nowhere Villa threaten, with Douglas Luiz playing a lovely lofted ball into the box, which Durán watches carefully before volleying first time … Ortega pulls off a fine low save. Seems like the Villa forward was offside anyway.
13 min: Digne launches a long throw into the City box, and it’s flicked on … but there’s no damage done.
VAR has a look at whether Doku’s offside – he ain’t. The goal stands and this already has the feel of a long evening for Villa.
GOAL! Manchester City 1-0 Aston Villa (Rodri 11)
All the action is in the Villa half, and the pressure tells. Foden slides in Doku on the right, who crosses the ball low into the box for Rodri to meet and smash past Olsen.
Updated
10 min: Rodri tries his luck with his left foot from the edge of the box, but he’s off balance as he hits it and doesn’t properly threaten Olsen.
9 min: There’s a bit of pinball in the Villa box but City are unable to get a shot off.
8 min: Foden and Álvarez stand over it … the former whips it in to the box and Olsen collects it with authority.
7 min: The electric Doku goes down on the right-hand side to win City a free-kick.
6 min: Durán clashes heads and is down for a bit, but fear not Villa fans – he’s back up again and ready to keep playing.
4 min: Lewis tries to slide in Foden but it’s just out of the desired reach of City’s No 47.
2 min: Douglas Luiz’s ball in is decent but dealt with. Grealish, against his former club, cuts in from the left and chips in a lovely ball into the box for Álvarez to hop on to, and he smashes the ball into the side-netting from a tight angle. A smart run from the City striker.
1 min: Digne pops a ball down the line for Zaniolo to chase on to and his cross is blocked out for a corner.
Peep!
Off we go, with Villa kicking off. Let’s play!
“Villa fan here in Philadelphia!” writes Tim Hyland. “Have been supporting them since ‘08-09. This has been a dream of a season. Strange lineup today, and though I get it, this looks an awful lot like kinda maybe hoping for a point but not even expecting that much.”
Ah, 08/09, the days of Martin Laursen, Ashley Young, Gareth Barry and co. Enjoy, Tim.
Dudes can literally just sit around and name old sports players and just have the best time.
— E.M. Hudson (@EMHudsonlives) July 15, 2021
Updated
“Despite the Pep talk, Haaland’s drop to the bench surely confirms what Roy Keane must have had insider knowledge about: Poor Erling will be an Accrington Stanley player by the start of next season!,” writes Justin Kavanagh. “Actually, methinks Mr. Keane is still extracting his vengeance on Pere Alfie with such slurs on the son. Without the bad language of old, at least, so he’s mellowing.”
Anywho, here’s one of my fave Keane clips. Why would you let the phone ring out? Roy’s right.
Michael Butler’s watching Arsenal-Luton by the way. Martin Odegaard’s opened the scoring, which amps up the pressure on City.
A reminder, too, that Villa are without the injured Ollie Watkins, who has 16 goals in the league this season. The man tasked with filling his space is Jhon Durán, this just his second start in the Premier League.
Martínez ruled out with illness
Ooops. Another loss for Aston Villa, with their star goalkeeper Emi Martínez ruled out due to illness. In comes Sweden’s Robin Olsen.
Plenty of changes for both sides then: Aké, Kovacic, De Bruyne and Haaland drop out of City’s XI. For Villa, Watkins, Moreno, Torres, Tielemans and Bailey are missing from the lineup that started in the win over Wolves.
The teams
Erling Haaland drops to the bench!
In the blue corner! 🩵
— Manchester City (@ManCity) April 3, 2024
XI | Ortega Moreno, Lewis, Akanji, Dias (C), Gvardiol, Rodrigo, Bernardo, Doku, Foden, Grealish, Alvarez
SUBS | Carson, Stones, Kovacic, Haaland, De Bruyne, Gomez, Nunes, Bobb, Susoho#ManCity | @etihad pic.twitter.com/9lYty11XS8
Representing Aston Villa tonight! 👊 pic.twitter.com/7sWKOR65yj
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) April 3, 2024
Man City: Ortega, Lewis, Dias, Akanji, Gvardiol, Rodri, Silva, Doku, Foden, Grealish, Álvarez
Subs: Stones, Kovacic, Haaland, De Bruyne, Gómez, Matheus Nunes, Carson, Bobb, Susoho
Aston Villa: Martínez, Konsa, Carlos, Lenglet, Digne, Zaniolo, Iroegbunam, Luiz, Rogers, Diaby, Durán
Subs: Tielemans, Torres, Moreno, Chambers, Gauci, Olsen, Kesler-Hayden, Bailey, Kellyman
Updated
Here’s some pre-game chit-chat, with Pep Guardiola bigging up his star forward after Roy Keane used those two dreaded words: League Two.
Speaking of Aston Villa’s previous visits to the Etihad, remember this? Madness.
Preamble
Hello, hello, hello and welcome to coverage of Aston Villa’s trip to the Etihad Stadium. It’s a battle between third and fourth, though both sides have different priorities: Manchester City are still in there for a shot at an unprecedented fourth consecutive Premier League title; the visitors are looking to extend their gap with Tottenham and set up Champions League football for next season.
It’s worth looking back at the reverse fixture between the two sides in December, when Leon Bailey scored the only goal to place City in a rare crisis: the defeat at Villa Park was their fourth league game in a row without a win. That proved to be a turning point, with the champions unbeaten since, their immaculate run keeping the prospect of a double treble still alive.
Villa are up against it, missing the threat of Ollie Watkins due to a hamstring injury, and with not much to reminisce about in these parts; they haven’t won a league game at the Etihad since 2007, when John Carew and Shaun Maloney scored in a 2-0 victory. Here’s Carew’s IMDB page if you’re wondering whatever happened to him.
Send me your thoughts, queries, book recommendations, darkest secrets, favourite Carew performance (only acting ones, please), whatever you fancy! Kick-off’s at 8.15pm BST.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 29 | 40 | 67 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 29 | 46 | 65 |
| 3 | Man City | 29 | 35 | 64 |
| 4 | Aston Villa | 30 | 20 | 59 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 30 | 18 | 57 |
