Aston Villa marked Unai Emery’s third anniversary in charge with a statement victory on Sunday, edging out Manchester City 1-0 at Villa Park thanks to a decisive first-half goal from Matty Cash.
The win Villa’s fourth consecutive in the Premier League lifted them to seventh in the table and extended their remarkable home record against City to three straight victories. For Pep Guardiola’s side, the loss snapped a nine-game unbeaten streak across all competitions and left them six points behind league leaders Arsenal.
City came close to an early breakthrough when Tijjani Reijnders fired narrowly over in the sixth minute, but Villa quickly found their rhythm. The breakthrough arrived in the 19th minute following a short corner routine. Emiliano Buendía delivered a well-placed cross to the edge of the area, where Poland international Matty Cash took a neat first touch before drilling a low shot into the far corner.
Three minutes later, Erling Haaland had City’s best chance of the game when Bernardo Silva broke the offside trap and squared the ball, but the Norwegian’s effort was denied by Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez. From that point on, Villa largely controlled proceedings, pressing high and limiting City’s attacking threat.
John McGinn saw a long-range effort deflect wide before Ollie Watkins’ header from the ensuing corner was blocked. In the second half, McGinn again came close with a powerful strike that was smothered by the City defence.
As City pushed for an equaliser, Ezri Konsa and Pau Torres produced key defensive interventions to block successive efforts from Savinho. Substitute Jadon Sancho twice tested Gianluigi Donnarumma from a tight angle but failed to extend Villa’s lead.
City thought they had rescued a late point in the 89th minute when Haaland bundled home from close range, but the goal was ruled out for offside in the buildup involving Phil Foden.
The result capped a spirited response from Villa following their midweek Europa League defeat to Go Ahead Eagles and underscored Emery’s growing influence as the club continues to climb the Premier League standings.
