Nunes late winner defeats resolute Villa

 

Mateus Nunes scores a late winner for City.

 

Mateus Nunes’ first Premier League goal for Manchester City gave Pep Guardiola’s side a priceless victory in the race for a Champions League finish, defeating Aston Villa 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday evening.

Bernardo Silva put City ahead from 12 yards after seven minutes following good work from Omar Marmoush, before Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford, who put in a dynamic display, coolly scored from the penalty spot shortly after, following good work from Jacob Ramsey to draw a foul from Ruben Dias.

Villa frustrated City throughout the match, not letting them break through their solid defence, right until stoppage time when they were beaten by Nunes, who appeared at the back post getting on the end of Jeremy Doku’s low cross and sending the home fans into raptures.

Both teams rotated their starting teams from the previous match, with one eye on their respective upcoming FA Cup semi-final clashes this weekend – the only remaining chance of silverware for both clubs this season – though this was still an important fixture for both teams as they look to secure a Champions League place for next season.

And it was the visitors who came flying out of the blocks. With just 18 seconds on the clock, Youri Tielemans drove through the heart of the City midfield before finding Rashford, who turned Dias inside out before seeing his low shot crash against the face of the post.

An early warning sign for City, who did not let it affect them as they took the lead soon after. The lively Omar Marmoush beat Matty Cash for pace on the left wing before cutting the ball back into a dangerous area. Ezri Konsa got a toe to the ball but could only divert it into the path of Silva, whose left-footed shot was too hot for Martinez to handle in the Villa goal – another error from the Argentine shot-stopper.

While the first half was all about Man City dominating possession, with Aston Villa being restricted to counter attacks, the visitors managed to grab an equaliser with one of their few forays forward. An excellent turn of pace from Rashford saw him lose control of the ball, which was picked up by Ramsey. He went down under a clumsy challenge from Dias, who had a torrid first half when called upon, and a penalty was awarded after Craig Pawson was sent to the video monitor by VAR John Brooks.

Rashford, the player owned by the red half of Manchester, stepped up to a cacophony of boos, but was the coolest man in the stadium as he waited for Stefan Ortega to move before slotting his penalty the other side of the goal, and draw the Villans level.

And while the first half saw City dominating possession, to such an extent that at the end of the first half the hosts had had 61% of the play, the early stages of the second half saw the frequency of Villa’s forays into the City half turned from infrequent to seldom. City enjoyed relentless possession, but the most Villa’s defence was tested came in the form of several City corners, all of which were dealt with fairly comfortably.

The first real chance of the second period for Villa didn’t arrive until after the hour mark, when Rashford was set through on goal, leaving Dias in his wake – not for the first time in the match. His touch took him around Ortega but the angle was too tight, and his shot hit the side netting.

James McAtee wasted a couple of chances to put City back in front – firstly a quick break from a Villa free-kick saw De Bruyne launch a trademark through ball with the outside of his foot, setting the youngster clear, but his lobbed volley bounced just the wrong side of Martinez’s post. Shortly after, he got onto the end of a low cross from the impressive Nico O’Reilly but missed his kick at the vital moment.

But Doku, introduced with 15 minutes to play, finally found a way through for the hosts. His low cross, the final roll of the dice for City, was turned in at the back post by right-back Nunes – cue wild celebrations from Pep Guardiola and the City supporters.

Though City deserved their victory, their attacking talent struggled for most of the encounter, with Villa keeping the likes of Mateo Kovacic, making his 200^th Premier League appearance, and Ilkay Gundogan especially very quiet, as Villa’s defence appeared impenetrable at times.

And after Rashford was withdrawn for Villa, they never looked like scoring. His lively display tonight was typical of his time so far at Aston Villa, though he was replaced by Ollie Watkins with 15 minutes to go. Given that Unai Emery surely enjoyed what he saw from his number 9, has Manchester-born Rashford done enough to convince his manager that he deserves a start in their FA cup semi-final against Crystal Palace on Saturday?

Meanwhile, City go third with this victory, though they have played a game more than the three teams directly below them, and Villa stay 7^th, also with 34 matches played. With just four points between the two sides in 3^rd and 7^th, the Champions League places, the top 5 this season due to England being given an extra spot in Europe’s elite competition, are clearly anyone’s to gain.