Aston Villa 1–0 Manchester City: Matty Cash Strike Earns Villa a Statement Win at Villa Park

Aston Villa secured a hard-fought 1–0 victory over Manchester City at Villa Park, extending their winning run to four Premier League games and inflicting City’s first defeat in ten matches. Pep Guardiola’s side, fresh from a 2–0 win over Villarreal, travelled to Birmingham hoping to continue their unbeaten run, but it was the hosts who struck first and held firm.

The breakthrough came in the 20th minute when Matty Cash opened the scoring for Villa. From a short corner routine, Lucas Digne played the ball to Emiliano Buendía, who picked out Cash on the edge of the box. The full-back struck with his left foot, sending the ball gliding low into the bottom corner to give the hosts the lead. Almost immediately, Erling Haaland tried to respond, but his effort was safely gathered by Emiliano Martínez.

Villa were forced into an early change in the 29th minute when Buendía, who had assisted the opening goal, went off with what appeared to be a foot injury. Jadon Sancho came on in his place. City dominated possession and territory but were met by a disciplined Villa defence that refused to yield.

At half-time, the score remained 1–0, with City struggling to break through despite their pressure. In the closing stages, Haaland thought he had finally found the equaliser in the 88th minute, but the flag went up for offside. The Norwegian collided with the post in the process, summing up City’s frustration on the night.

Despite having less possession and half as many shots, Villa’s organisation and resilience saw them through to another famous home victory. It marked a third successive home win over Manchester City, who now suffer their third league defeat of the season and slip to fourth in the Premier League table.

Next up, Aston Villa travel to Anfield to face defending champions Liverpool, who are currently struggling for form, while Manchester City turn their attention to a midweek clash with Swansea before facing Bournemouth at the weekend, who currently sit second in the Premier League table. Villa Park celebrated at full-time as their side claimed another statement win against Pep Guardiola’s men.