Goals: Manchester City – Aston Villa – Played on 02/12/ 2023
Manchester City achieved a smooth victory over its guest Aston Villa (3-1) on Sunday evening, in the twenty-third round of the English Premier League.
City’s goals were scored by Rodri (4), Ilkay Gundogan (39), and Riyad Mahrez (45 + 1 from a penalty kick), while Ollie Watkins scored Villa’s only goal (61).
Thus, Manchester City regained second place, after raising its balance to 48 points, to reduce the difference between it and leaders Arsenal to 3 points, and ahead by two points against Manchester United in third place, while Aston Villa’s balance settled at 28 points in eleventh place.
Manchester City quickly advanced with a goal in the fourth minute, when Rodri ran to catch a distinguished cross from Mahrez, to head the ball into the lower left corner of the Aston Villa goal.
Manchester City almost added the second goal in the 11th minute, when Rodri passed to Gundogan, who hit a ball from inside the penalty area, Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez shone in removing it.
Manchester City players demanded a penalty kick in the 20th minute, due to a handball on Chambers when he tried to stop Grealish’s shot, but the referee ordered him to continue playing after using video technology, and two minutes later, Haaland missed an opportunity to score, when he shot over the goal from a comfortable position.
De Bruyne made his way brilliantly, dodging Kamara, before passing to Grealish, who hit a ball with his right, Martinez ably removed it in the 29th minute.
Manchester City managed to score the second goal in the 39th minute, when Gundogan met a quick, creeping cross from Haaland, with one touch from close range inside the goal.
The referee awarded a penalty kick to Manchester City after Grealish was fouled by Ramsey, and Mahrez executed the kick successfully in the first minute of stoppage time for the first half.
Between halftime, Man City coach Pep Guardiola replaced Haaland and Diaz and replaced them with Julian Alvarez and Manuel Akanji, and goalkeeper Martinez shone in saving a creeping shot from Rodri, following a pass from Alvarez in the 48th minute.
Manchester City lost the ball in the middle of the field, to reach Douglas Luiz, who passed the ball to the solo Watkins, so that the latter put the ball out of reach of goalkeeper Ederson, narrowing the difference in the 61st minute.
And from a counterattack, Grealish launched on the left side and lifted a cross, which Alvarez met with his head, but his attempt was rebounded from defender Konsa in the 67th minute.
Aston Villa’s pressure in the second half of the second half yielded nothing, and substitute Philippe Coutinho tried his luck with a shot from the left, Ederson pushed it over the goal in the 80th minute.
Mahrez missed an irreplaceable opportunity in the 84th minute, when he received a pass inside the penalty area from Alvarez, to pass a defender, separate the goalkeeper, and strangely shoot high toward the stands, and in stoppage time, the substitute’s shot bounced off the Man City crossbar.
