- Manchester City 1-2 Aston Villa
- Antoine Semenyo (23′)
- Ollie Watkins (47′, 61′)
Aston Villa secured a top-four finish and a league double over Manchester City after beating them 2-1, thanks to Ollie Watkins’ brace. The result earned the Villans their first league win at the Etihad since 2007.
The match certainly had the feel of two teams having nothing to play for as City controlled the majority of the first half.
Villa struggled to play out from the back against City’s high-press, leading to only 43% possession.
Bernardo Silva had an opportunity to score in his final game for the Citizens, but had his near post effort well saved by Marco Bizot.
Pep Guardiola’s side eventually made their pressure count when Antoine Semenyo side footed a flick on by Andrés García from a corner. He was left unmarked at the back post, having time to slot his effort past Bizot into the far corner, for his 17th goal of the season.
The Villans continued to struggle in possession as Savinho nearly netted a second moments after the opener.
Tijjani Reijnders then had a chance to double City’s lead just before the break, but his strike was well saved by Bizot.
The first-half drew to a close with the home side well on top.
Two minutes into the second half, Ollie Watkins scored with his 20th of the season. Leon Bailey whipped in a corner, which John Stones failed to clear. It rebounded off Watkins, who reacted quickly to strike it past James Trafford.
In a complete contrast to the first-half, Villa started to look more and more threatening. Ollie Watkins soon gave them the lead when he ran onto Ross Barkley’s neat pass. Driving towards goal, he calmly cut inside of John Stones, and confidently found the far corner to net his second of the match, and his 16th in the league.
Villa maintained the pressure, and Bailey then came close to scoring a third. He drove into the box and struck the post, past a helpless Trafford, despite Watkins being free, if he squared it.
Phil Foden thought he had equalised late on, but he was deemed to be offside after a VAR review.
The game pondered out to a close, with the result confirming Villa finish in fourth place and City in second.
Here are ReadAstonVilla’s full-time ratings:
Marco Bizot – 7
Made a decent save to prevent Silva at the near post in the first half, and followed up with a sharp save against Reijnders just before half-time. Seemed composed in possession despite the high-press from City. Had a rather quiet second half.
Andrés García – 5
Beaten very easily by Lewis a few times in the first half. Not been able to get forward due to the lack of possession. Was subbed off at half-time for Matty Cash
Victor Lindelöf – 8
Another assured performance. Was Villa’s best player until Watkins’ double. Completed 51/53 of his passes. Fantastic couple of months for the Swede.
Tyrone Mings – 8
Like a lot of his teammates, he improved in the second half. Made the most passes in the match with 72, and captained Villa to a first league win at the Etihad since 2007.
Ian Maatsen – 7
Struggled to play out from the back in the first half, restricting his ability to get forward. But as Villa had more possession in the second he offered more energy in the final third and became impactful. Registered 14 defensive contributions.
Lamare Bogarde – 6
Struggled physically once again, but began to improve as the game went on. Was subbed in the 73rd minute for Amadou Onana
Douglas Luiz – 6
In what was likely his final appearance in a claret and blue shirt, he would be happy with the 75 minutes he played this afternoon.
Leon Bailey – 6
Making his third start since his return in January, he displayed a lack of quality in the final third. Was slightly effective when Villa were able to break away, but overall, should have done a lot better.
Ross Barkley – 7
Was poor in the first-half, but became effective in the second. Smart pass to assist Watkins for his second, and overall, was a decent showing in the No 10.
Emi Buendía – 8
Ended the season with another superb performance. Popped up in the pockets and worked extremely hard defensively, winning 10/12 of his ground duels.
Ollie Watkins – 8
Despite being a passenger in the first-half, he sprung to life in the second., with two goals. His first was a poacher’s finish after some quick reactions, while his second showcased some fantastic skill to cut inside of Stones, and slot his shot into the far corner.
Subs:
Matty Cash (for Andrés García, 45′) – 7
Despite coming on for García with defensive duties in mind, he wasn’t tested too much. Created the corner with a decent run forward that led to Villa’s equaliser.
Youri Tielemans (for Douglas Luiz, 73′) – N/A
Amadou Onana (for Lamare Bogarde, 73′) – N/A
Pau Torres (for Victor Lindelöf, 73′) – N/A
John McGinn (for Ross Barkley, 86′) – N/A
