December 07, (THEWILL) – Aston Villa earned a momentous 1-0 home victory over Manchester City on Wednesday night, equaling the club’s record 14-game winning streak at Villa Park. The goal came in the 74th-minute courtesy of Leon Bailey, whose deflected strike proved the difference in a dominant attacking display from the home side.
The win marked Unai Emery’s 50th game in charge of the hosts and his first career victory over Pep Guardiola’s Man City after 14 prior attempts. Emery has spearheaded a remarkable turnaround for Villa, taking them from battling relegation to contending for a Champions League spot in just one year.
Man City clearly missed the influence of the suspended Rodri in midfield. The Spain international has started every English Premier League game in which City has avoided defeat this term. With several other injuries and Jack Grealish serving a ban, Guardiola lined up an extremely makeshift midfield.
Villa applied constant pressure in the first half, carving through City’s high defensive line. Ederson was called into action multiple times, while the home side had 13 shots before the break. Douglas Luiz saw a goal disallowed on the stroke of half-time because the ball had gone out of play before the goal.
The second half followed a similar pattern until Bailey’s decisive strike, which deflected off Ruben Dias to beat Ederson. Luiz twice went close to adding a second but struck the woodwork on both occasions. Villa now prepare to face Arsenal on Saturday, with the chance to match a 91-year club record.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
