Manchester City beat Aston Villa 3-2 on Championship Sunday as Pep Guardiola’s side scored three late goals to erase a 2-0 deficit and win the title in incredible, dramatic fashion. FULL REPLAY MANCHESTER CITY v ASTON VILLA
City’s fans were put through it once again but Guardiola’s boys won a fourth title in the last five seasons amid amazing scenes with substitute Ilkay Gundogan the unlikely hero.
This game had it all and was a fitting finale to an incredible season.
Here’s everything you need to know from Manchester City vs Aston Villa.
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How to watch Manchester City vs Aston Villa live, stream link and start time
Kick off: 11am ET, Sunday
TV Channel: NBC
Online: Stream via NBCSports.com & Peacock Premium
Manchester City vs Aston Villa live analysis! – By Joe Prince-Wright at the Etihad Stadium
Thank you so much for joining me on an epic final day of the Premier League season! Is it bad that I already can’t wait until the 2022-23 season kicks off in August…!? See you soon.
Wonderful scenes all around the Etihad as players lift the trophy and the fans go wild each and every time. Fernandinho is then given a special ceremony as that was the 37-year-old’s final game for Man City. What an incredible career he’s had and City’s fans serenade him on the pitch as he stands there with his family.
But no moment will beat this one. Ukraine star Oleksandr Zinchenko is overcome with emotion as he draped the Ukraine flag over the Premier League trophy and is then embraced by his teammates. What a moment.
Oleksandr Zinchenko of Ukraine is overcome with emotion after lifting the Premier League trophy.
He drapes the trophy with the Ukrainian flag. 💙💛 #ChampionshipSunday | #MyPLMorning pic.twitter.com/9j47ApPhai
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) May 22, 2022
THE PREMIER LEAGUE CHAMPIONS LIFT THE TROPHY ALOFT!
🔵🔥🏆 MANCHESTER CITY LIFT THE PREMIER LEAGUE TROPHY #MCFC #ChampionshipSunday pic.twitter.com/zTncwNH2EA
— Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) May 22, 2022
What a moment here at the Etihad, as an Oasis sing-song then takes over, then a Yaya/Kolo Toure sing-song.
🏆 Manchester City are here to get their medals! #MCFC pic.twitter.com/dIqYLGlaKw
— Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) May 22, 2022
We are now waiting for the newly crowned champions to come back out onto the pitch and lift the trophy. The fans are off the pitch and they are now cheering every time they show the highlights again on the big screens.
Trying to make sense of what we’ve just seen…
🤯 My thoughts from the Etihad as Manchester City win the Premier League title on the final day in wilddd fashion ⤵️ #MCFC #MCIAVL pic.twitter.com/Jf2gPdxcKy
— Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) May 22, 2022
Incredible scenes at the final whistle here.
Scenes from @ManCity's victory. 🏆🎉#ChampionshipSunday | #MyPLMorning pic.twitter.com/th8JGw0xE9
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) May 22, 2022
FULL TIME: MANCHESTER CITY 3-2 ASTON VILLA!
Man City are the Premier League champions for the fourth time in the last five seasons and the sixth time.
Just when you think you’ve seen everything…
GOALLLL! GOALLL! GOALLL! Manchester City go 3-2 up. Three goals in 5 minutes. What the hell is going on!? Gundogan scores twice off the bench and Rodri has a goal in-between it.
🤯🤯🤯
THE MOMENT MANCHESTER CITY GO 3-2 UP AFTER BEING DOWN 2-0 WITH 14 MINUTES TO PLAY.
3 goals in 5 minutes! The Etihad goes bonkers. This is not real life. #MCFC 3-2 #AVFC #MCIAVL pic.twitter.com/AIEX8TPitD
— Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) May 22, 2022
GOALLL! Aston Villa go 2-0 up. What on earth. Who is writing this script? Coutinho with the goal. Of course it was Coutinho. The Etihad Stadium is absolutely stunned.
27 minutes to go. My nerves are shredded. Bloody hell, this is tense.
Raheem Sterling is on for Riyad Mahrez.
City have gone close early in the second half as Jesus slid in at the back post but couldn’t convert. Rodri then smashed a shot off target.
Fernandinho hauled off at half time. Zinchenko is on at left back, Cancelo has gone to right back and Stone is at center back. Not the final game in a City shirt Fernandinho would have wanted.
HALF TIME: Manchester City 0-1 Aston Villa – City have won just 1 of their last PL games when they’ve gone behind.
🤯 This is crazy! 45 minutes of the Premier League season to go and…
As it stands:
Man City losing and Liverpool drawing but #MCFC winning the title
Leeds staying up#THFC in 4th, #WHUFC in 6th
My thoughts from the Etihad on a wild final day, so far ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/UpFEJG0Xrz
— Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) May 22, 2022
Watkins and Coutinho have a few chances on the break after that opening goal. City all over the place defensively. Guardiola looks furious.
GOALLLL! Aston Villa go 1-0 up at Manchester City. A fine cross from the left is headed home by Matty Cash. Another dramatic twist on the final day of the season.
Matty Cash heads Villa into the lead over Manchester City!
Manchester City and Liverpool are tied on points, but City lead due to goal differential.
📺: @NBC & @PeacockTV#MCIAVL | #ChampionshipSunday | #MyPLMorning pic.twitter.com/ms5ST3JqJR
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) May 22, 2022
CLOSE! Phil Foden drags a shot inches wide. It’s all getting very tense here as news of a Liverpool equalizer filters through.
Mahrez dances into the box but his ball to the back post is cleared as City started to crank up the pressure. Few moans and groans from the City fans after some loose passes.
Game has gone a little flat after Lucas Digne went down with a head injury. His own players, Calum Chambers, smashed the ball straight into his face. Ouch. That’s taken the sting out of the game a little.
Pedro Neto's early goal stuns the Anfield crowd!
📺: @USA_Network#LIVWOL | #ChampionshipSunday | #MyPLMorning pic.twitter.com/CjELglAjZB
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) May 22, 2022
Celebrations among the home fans here as news filters around that Wolves have gone 1-0 up at Liverpool. Drama already.
KICK OFF: Great start here at the Etihad as City have had plenty of the ball but Villa look dangerous on the break.
HERE. WE. GO.
🔥🔵 The fireworks and flares are already out before the game here at the Etihad.
Manchester City v Aston Villa. Go time. #MCFC #AVFC #MCI pic.twitter.com/mRFRsjx7Lg
— Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) May 22, 2022
Here are my final thoughts ahead of kick off…
👋 Welcome to the Etihad Stadium!
I’ll have live analysis + videos and more on Man City v Aston Villa here ➡️ https://t.co/ddHauIlA8X
Can City be crowned Premier League champions on the final day of the season?
Plus here are my thoughts ahead of #MCFC v #AVFC👇 #MCIAVL pic.twitter.com/szwPy4ORzP
— Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) May 22, 2022
The teams have gone back in. The pressure is building. This is all getting rather serious now. I just caught up with Man City legend Shaun Goater here in the press box and he told me it will actually help Man City if Aston Villa score first, as City will be forced to play their normal game and came out and attack with everything they have.
Here’s Pep chatting about the pressure of today. He looks as cool as a cucumber. How!?
Pep talks about the pressures of the day for his squad.
📺: @USA_Network & @peacockTV #ChampionshipSunday | #MyPLMorning pic.twitter.com/TuS057C1fx
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) May 22, 2022
Team news is out! A few big surprises as it looks like John Stones starts at right back for City, while Foden, Mahrez and Jesus start in attack. Kyle Walker is fit enough for the bench. Villa are without their star goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez so Robin Olsen comes in for his debut. That seems like a huge blow for Villa who have gone for a pretty attacking lineup as Watkins, Coutinho, Buendia all start with Jacob Ramsey starting in midfield.
Btw, watch this video below without getting fired up. My word. Goosebumps.
What does it take to be a champion?
📺: @peacockTV #ChampionshipSunday | #MyPLMorningpic.twitter.com/s0IBLypbRh
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) May 22, 2022
The City team have arrived. Blue flares (which seem to be very very easy to get hold of these days!?) are plentiful around the Etihad.
Ready and raring to go! 💪#ManCity pic.twitter.com/GhvzUDRGr7
— Manchester City (@ManCity) May 22, 2022
There is very much a party atmosphere here in Manchester. The vast majority of City fans seem to be expecting an easy home win today. On paper that should be the case, but it’s the final day of the season. Who knows?
Well, well, well. Here we are. 90 minutes of the season to go. Manchester City know a win at home against Aston Villa on the final day will secure the Premier League title for the fourth time in the last five seasons. But a draw or defeat leaves the door open for Liverpool (who start the final day just one point behind them) to win the title and keep their incredible quadruple hopes alive.
It is cloudy but warm here in Manchester, where the City fans I’ve spoken to are a mixture of hugely optimistic to incredibly pessimistic. They’ve been in these kind of scenarios quite a lot over the years and they always seem to make life more complicated than it should be. Just over 10 years ago Sergio Aguero delivered that iconic moment (No. 1 in our list of the Top 30 moments in PL history) amid late drama on the final day to win the title. Surely we won’t see anything like that again today…
😎 Hello from Manchester!
🏟 Etihad Stadium
🏆 #ChampionshipSunday
⚽️ Man City v Aston Villa
🚨 Live analysis/watch ⤵️https://t.co/ddHauIlA8X pic.twitter.com/dKHhYKa8yg— Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) May 22, 2022
Manchester City team news, injuries, lineup
Defenders John Stones and Kyle Walker have both made speedy recoveries for this game as Stones starts at right back and Fernadinho is also in the defense alongside Laporte. Ruben Dias remains out.
Mahrez, Foden and Jesus start in attack.
📋 TEAM NEWS IS IN! 📋
XI | Ederson, Stones, Fernandinho (C), Laporte, Cancelo, Rodrigo, De Bruyne, Bernardo, Mahrez, Foden, Jesus.
SUBS | Carson, Walker, Ake, Sterling, Gundogan, Grealish, Zinchenko, Palmer, McAtee.#ManCity | @HaysTechnology pic.twitter.com/6Y9LF4a9Gt
— Manchester City (@ManCity) May 22, 2022
Aston Villa team news, injuries, lineup
Kortney Hause is ruled out, while Ezri Konsa is also out with a long-term knee injury. Leon Bailey is also out while Ings is on the bench with Emiliano Martinez missing due to injury so Robin Olsen starts in goal.
This is your Aston Villa team to face Manchester City this afternoon. 👊 #MCIAVL pic.twitter.com/z8YHywSTCp
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) May 22, 2022
Manchester City vs Aston Villa preview
City sit atop the table and have a one-point lead over Liverpool heading into the final 90 minutes of the season. Given their superior goal difference all they have to do is equal or better Liverpool’s result (they host Wolves at Anfield) on the final day to secure a fourth Premier League title in the last five years. But with plenty of defensive injuries and coming off the back of a shaky 2-2 draw at West Ham last week, Guardiola is urging City’s fans to turn up at the Etihad and ‘give their lives’ to the team. This will be a tense afternoon but nine times out of 10 you’d expect City to win this game comfortably and a few early goals will settle the nerves of the City faithful. They hope.
As for Aston Villa, well, they have a top 10 finish to play for as they can finish in 10th with a win or as low as 14th if they lose. Steven Gerrard is determined to finish as close to the top 10 as possible and he rested Danny Ings and Philippe Coutinho for the midweek draw at home to Burnley. With his status as a Liverpool legend confirmed from his playing days, Gerrard will aim to do the one thing he didn’t do at Liverpool: win a Premier League title for the Reds. Villa are more than capable of grabbing a draw, or even more, at City and if they do then it is highly-likely Liverpool will pip City to the title and their quest for the quadruple will go down to the Champions League final.
