Aston Villa held Manchester City to a dismal draw
Erling Haaland scored once more as Aston Villa held Manchester City to a dismal draw on Saturday night at Villa Park.
Despite dominating first-half possession and chances generated,
goal-happy Manchester City was unable to get past Aston Villa’s fortified defence.
City started the second half with more vigour
and took the lead through star striker Erling Haaland before conceding an equaliser to Leon Bailey.
Aston VillaScore – Manchester City Played on September 03, 2022
Ollie Watkins’ attempt from Aston Villa deflected off John Stones and went wide of Ederson’s goal as the half progressed,
but neither team was able to break the scoreless tie.
However,
this deadlock did not continue for very long in the second half when Erling Haaland,
who was in fine form, scored the game’s first goal.
After exchanging passes with Bernardo Silva,
Kevin De Bruyne moved forward and sent in a cross that Erling Haaland
pounced on from close range to bring his tally for the season to 10 goals in only six games.
Soon after falling behind,
Rodri lost control to Ollie Watkins, allowing Aston Villa to advance and be given a two-on-one chance. When Ederson publicly rejected Jacob Ramsey,
the opportunity was lost.
When Haaland awarded the Citizens a free kick in an excellent shooting position,
Manchester City almost doubled their lead. The set piece was taken by Kevin De Bruyne,
whose well-struck shot hit Emiliano Martnez’s crossbar.
In what was Pep Guardiola’s first substitution of the game,
Bernardo Silva was replaced by Riyad Mahrez after Bernardo Silva was repeatedly fouled by the pursuing Villa players.
Aston Villa’s Leon Bailey scored an unexpected equaliser just a few seconds after Mahrez entered the game. The home team’s first shot on goal of the contest was a cross from Jacob Ramsey that Leon Bailey slammed in.
In an effort to get new legs on the field for Manchester City’s last 10 minutes of the game,
Pep Guardiola decided to substitute Nathan Ake for Kyle Walker in response to this.
After a dramatic 3-3 draw with Newcastle United last month,
City tried to grab a late winner but were unable to do so, dropping two crucial points away from home for the second time this season.
Erling Haaland’s 10th goal in six games prevented Aston Villa from earning a 1-1 home draw,