Both Aston Villa and Manchester City entered the match at Villa Park with a series of 3 consecutive wins in the Premier League. Therefore, no team wants to lose points in this confrontation.
Right after the opening whistle, Man City proactively controlled the game, continuously putting pressure on the opponent's field.
In the 6th minute, Reijnders fired a long-range shot over the bar, warning Villa's defense. However, that pressure was quickly dissolved when Erling Haaland was completely blocked by the tight defense of the home team.
In the 19th minute, the turning point of the match appeared. From a corner kick, the ball bounced right into Matty Cash's reach and the Polish defender made a volley that sent the ball straight into the right corner of Donnarumma's goal, opening the score 1-0 for Aston Villa.
This goal caused an explosive atmosphere at Villa Park, adding strong motivation to the home team.
For most of the remaining time, Man City tried to press but proved to be stuck in finishing. Despite controlling the ball 61% and launching 14 shots in the second half, The Citizens still could not penetrate Unai Emery's tightly organized defense.
Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez had an excellent day with a series of saves. Notably, there was an impressive reflex from Haaland's close-range header in the 72nd minute.
The drama was pushed up in the 90th minute when Haaland cushioned the ball into Villa's net, but VAR determined that the Norwegian striker was offside in a flash.
In the end, Man City suffered a 0-1 defeat, thereby extending their 3-match winless streak at Villa Park.
