After seven consecutive victories, Manchester City suffered their first defeat. As has often happened in recent years, the team now led by Maresca was stopped by Aston Villa and Unai Emery. The main protagonist was Nicolas Jackson, the author of two goals, while goalkeeper Donnarumma was also responsible for one of them. Haaland's goal, which temporarily tied the score, was not enough to avoid the Citizens' fourth defeat in the last five meetings between the two teams.
Aston Villa made it clear from the first minutes that they were aiming for victory and took the lead in the fifth minute. Guehi made a mistake in controlling the ball, giving it to McGinn, who passed it to Nicolas Jackson. The Senegalese striker turned the ball to the right and shot powerfully near the near post, beating Donnarumma, who did not react properly. The pace of the game was high in the first half and Manchester City reacted immediately. Initially, Cherki approached the goal from a very advantageous position, while then Ndiaye hit the post with a low left-footed shot from outside the area. Despite the chances created by both teams, the score did not change until the break between the halves: 1-0 to Aston Villa.
At the beginning of the second half, the pressure of the team coached by Maresca increased even more and in the 51st minute the equalizer came. After a free kick from the midfield area, Ndiaye took the ball on his arm and arched towards the area, where Haaland broke away from the opposing defenders and with a header sent the ball into the net for the score 1-1. Led especially by Doku, the Citizens continued to attack in search of a breakthrough, but the spaces left behind gave the home team the opportunity to risk counterattacks. It was in such a situation, in the 60th minute, that Aston Villa regained the advantage. Mbaye, newly introduced into the game, sent the ball into the area for Jackson, who shot hard into the center of the goal. Donnarumma failed to stop the shot and once again became the negative protagonist in this episode. In the remaining minutes, Manchester City tried to find a second goal, but failed to avoid their first defeat of this championship. For Aston Villa and Unai Emery, this was the third consecutive success against the Citizens.
