Matheus Nunes scored a 94th-minute winner as Manchester City beat Aston Villa 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium, providing a major boost to their hopes of UEFA Champions League qualification.
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Nunes side-footed home at the back post, his first goal in the Premier League for City, after being found by Jeremy Doku deep into stoppage time, as Pep Guardiola's hosts made their sustained pressure count.
Bernardo Silva had earlier put City ahead when he forced an Emiliano Martinez error in the seventh minute, though Marcus Rashford levelled from the penalty spot after Ruben Dias fouled Jacob Ramsey.
City upped the pressure in the second half with Omar Marmoush finding the net, only to be flagged offside, but Villa's defence could not hold on through five minutes of time added on.
The result takes City up to third in the Premier League table, one point clear of fourth-placed Nottingham Forest and two ahead of Newcastle United in fifth.
Villa stay seventh, two points off the top five.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 |
Man City
MCI
|
34 | +23 | 61 |
| 4 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
33 | +14 | 60 |
| 5 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
33 | +18 | 59 |
| 6 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
33 | +18 | 57 |
| 7 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
34 | +5 | 57 |
How the match unfolded
Rashford nearly gave Villa a dream start, striking the woodwork with a low shot just 18 seconds in after skipping past Dias.
But that sparked City into action and the hosts swiftly took the lead. Marmoush’s centre deflected into Silva’s path, and the Portuguese struck a clean shot that Martinez could only parry into his own net.
City, though, were quickly brought back down to earth as Villa were awarded a penalty in the 18th minute. Dias was adjudged to have clipped Ramsey inside the box, with the spot-kick awarded by Craig Pawson following a VAR check.
Rashford made no mistake from the spot, coolly slotting his penalty into the bottom-right corner.
James McAtee nearly put City ahead with a stunning lob from 25 yards out on the hour mark, then Marmoush saw a goal ruled out for offside as City continued to press.
Villa could not hold firm until full-time, though, with Nunes tapping in Doku’s outside of the boot cross to spark wild celebrations among the home fans.
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City’s Etihad edge intact
City were far from convincing in their 2-0 win over Everton at the weekend, relying on late goals from Nico O’Reilly and Mateo Kovacic to secure the points at Goodison Park.
Heading into Tuesday’s match, City had a dominant record at home to Villa, winning the last 14 Premier League meetings at the Etihad, with their most recent such loss coming in 2007.
The Etihad hasn't quite been the fortress it once was for Guardiola’s side, though. City have now conceded 22 goals at home in the league this season – their highest tally since 2003/04.
Their defensive frailties were obvious again in the first half as Villa’s dynamic forwards – namely Rashford and Morgan Rogers – constantly threatened to get in behind.
Dias and Josko Gvardiol had plenty of nervy moments but were ultimately spared as Villa ran out of steam in the second half.
The visitors were reduced to digging in for a point late on, and Nunes timed his first Premier League goal for City – and his first overall since April 2023 – to perfection.
Having taken a huge step towards securing Champions League football, City will now turn their attention to their FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest this weekend, with in-form Wolverhampton Wanderers their next league opponents.
Rashford resurgence continues but Villa stumble
After bouncing back from their heartbreaking Champions League elimination with a statement 4-1 win over Newcastle, Villa arrived at the Etihad full of confidence.
Unai Emery’s side had won the reverse fixture last December, and, with two wins in their last three matches against City, the Spaniard would’ve felt his team had a chance.
Rashford’s early strike off the post only reinforced that belief, and Villa did well to get themselves level after Martinez spilled Silva's strike over the line.
Rashford's successful penalty means he has now scored five Premier League goals against Guardiola’s City, with only Mohamed Salah (nine) and Jamie Vardy (eight) having more.
The England international saw other chances go begging, the first of which was a well-timed run in beyond Dias in the first half, though his shot from a tight angle was saved by Stefan Ortega.
Later, he burst past Gvardiol to meet a lovely Youri Tielemans pass but could only fire into the side netting after rounding the City goalkeeper.
Villa will rue missing those chances, as Nunes’ late strike dealt a serious blow to their European hopes. Emery’s side will look to regroup with an FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace up next, before they host Fulham in their next league match.
Club reports
Man City report | Aston Villa report
What the managers said
Pep Guardiola: "I'm really happy. We're in the last four in the last five games and a Champions League contender for qualification."
Unai Emery: "We can't waste time, we lost in the last minute of this match, but we competed well - we were close to drawing.
"We were trying to win the match as well with the subs, but they do the same and they score."
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Key facts
Man City scored their latest match-winning Premier League goal at the Etihad Stadium (93:21) since November 2022 against Fulham (94:34). It was the latest winner Villa have conceded home and away in the competition since October 2021 against Wolves (94:05).
City have conceded 22 goals at the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League this season; only in 2003/04, their first season at the ground, have they shipped more goals in a league campaign there since it opened (24).
Only against Leicester (eight) does Rashford have more Premier League goals than he does v Man City (six), four of which have been at the Etihad.
Villa have now lost each of their last 15 league visits to the Etihad Stadium, extending their longest ever losing run away to a side in their league history.