Manchester City boosted their hopes of securing a Champions League place as Matheus Nunes scored a last-gasp winner to snatch a 2-1 victory against Aston Villa in the Premier League on Tuesday night, April 22.
Since 1962-63 -62 years now-, Villa had never completed a Premier League double over Manchester City, who they beat 2-1 in an earlier fixture last December in the West Midlands.
Ahead Tuesday’s showdown, seventh-placed Villa trailed fifth-placed Man City by a point and desperately needed a win to overhaul their hosts and enter the Champions League places.
The match began with a bang as Marcus Rashford hit the post just 17 seconds in, before Bernardo Silva gave Man City the lead inside 10 minutes, only for Rashford to swiftly equalise for Aston Villa after video assistant referee (VAR) persuaded the centre referee to award a penalty for a foul on Jacob Ramsey, and the scores would remain level at 1-1 heading into the break.
Man City dominated the second half as they searched for a winner, but the Citizens were frustratingly unable to capitalise on their control until the dying seconds, when Matheus Nunes slotted home from Jeremy Doku’s superb assist to secure all three points in dramatic fashion.
Man City may be regretting allowing Julian Alvarez to leave in the summer, as their lack of a recognised number nine in the absence of the injured Erling Haaland was a clear issue during the match.
Despite creating a mass of superb opportunities, the likes of James McAtee and Omar Marmoush were unable to take advantage, meaning they had to wait until the final seconds for the unlikely source of Nunes to score the crucial winner.
Another regret of Man City’s will be the upcoming departure of Kevin De Bruyne, who was back to his creative best in the match and was unfortunate not to grab several assists.
Ultimately, the victory is all that matters for Manchester City, who secured a vital three points against fellow Champions League contenders Aston Villa, a side that were at far from their best.
