Manchester City have consistently proven themselves as one of the most formidable teams in the Premier League and across Europe, displaying sheer dominance over rivals. However, in a surprising turn of events, Pep Guardiola’s side failed to secure victories in their recent domestic fixtures, going winless in their last four league matches.
The English champions suffered a third league defeat of the season against an optimistic Aston Villa side led by Unai Emery who stunned the champions with a 1-0 victory, on Wednesday. Guardiola admitted that the hosts got the better of Manchester City.
Pep Guardiola talks on Man City’s loss to Aston Villa
The treble winners’ midweek trip to Villa Park, Birmingham, turned out to be a game to forget. Not only did they lose to Aston Villa, but they also slipped down to fourth place in the points table, with just a three-point difference to their struggling arch-rivals Manchester United.
For the hosts, Leon Bailey’s deflected strike in the 74th minute subsequently made the difference, helping his side register a deserved 1-0 win over the champions. Guardiola’s defense was vulnerable and faced 22 shots, with 7 of them on target. In response, the visitors had only 2 shots, and they failed to win a single corner.
Post-match, City boss Pep Guardiola accepted the fact that Villa was the better team and deserved the three points. He admitted that his men had struggled.
“Aston Villa were better, They played a fantastic game. We struggled to make our passes and be aggressive in some moments in behind. The better team won.”, he said.
He added, “They are a physical team. They made a good pressing. They are incredibly organized so it’s difficult to find the pockets and with the moments in behind, we struggled a little bit.”
Pep Guardiola vs Unai Emery head-to-head
Pep Guardiola’s side was at the top of the table in their title defense just a few weeks ago, but they have slipped down to six points below Arsenal, whom they edged past last season in the race to lift the league trophy. For the first time since 2017, they have gone winless in the last four Premier League fixtures.
City aimed to bounce back from successive draws. Their last league outing against Spurs resulted in a 3-3 draw as they were denied a match-winning opportunity.
Nonetheless, Unai Emery had other plans for the guests, outclassing them in the tactical battles on the pitch that Manchester City couldn’t tackle.
A slender win marks Emery’s first victory over his fellow Spaniard Pep Guardiola in 14 encounters, with 9 defeats and 4 draws. Meanwhile, Aston Villa climbed to third place on the league table.
