To borrow a cliche, you have to “defend for 90 minutes” to shut out a power like Manchester City. A momentary lapse, and they can burn you.
Aston Villa’s defense gave Yaya Toure room in the 82nd minute, and that was all the Ivorian needed to give Manchester City a lead that would not be relinquished.
Sergio Aguero scored in the 88th minute to seal the deal at 2-0.
Toure’s first goal of the season lifts City past Southampton and into second place, at least for a day, while Villa’s 10 points put them in 7th place.
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The first half? Not so great (though City built momentum late). Here’s what we had to say, and there’s also this:
0 – There were no shots on target in the first half between Aston Villa and Manchester City. Drab.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 4, 2014
The second half started with fury, as chances at both ends had the crowd roaring with delight. First, Sergio Aguero rang a ball off the post after beating Brad Guzan, before Andreas Weimann was denied on a break at the other end by Joe Hart.
Moments later, Guzan was called upon to stop Aguero again, and did with a low diving right hand.
City kept going forward, an industrious James Milner putting loads of quality passes into the mixer. David Silva missed a huge opportunity in the 70th minute, his shot going just wide.
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Substitute Frank Lampard came on and provided a chance or two, but his half-hit shot on a pass from Silva in the 82nd minute was caught by Guzan.
But Toure found the first City’s goal before that minute was up, with Villa’s defense allowing him to walk in and curl a left-footed shot inside Guzan’s right post. It was 1-0, and deservedly so.
3 – Yaya Toure has scored in his last three Premier League games against Aston Villa. Salvage.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 4, 2014
Aguero cracked a right-footed shot past a diving Guzan with a pair of minutes left in regulation time to ensure three points for the visitors.
Lineups
Aston Villa: Guzan, Hutton, Senderos, Baker, Cissokho, Delph, Westwood, Cleverley, Richardson (Grealish, 71′), N’Zogbia (Bacuna, 71′), Weimann (Benteke, 61′)
Manchester City: Hart, Zabaleta, Kolarov, Kompany (C), Mangala, Milner, Fernandinho (Lampard, 56′), Toure, Silva (Navas, 84′), Dzeko (Fernando, 64′), Aguero
Goal: Toure (82′), Aguero (88′)
