Nunes nets late winner as City edge past Villa | OneFootball

Manchester City left it very late, but Matheus Nunes struck deep into stoppage time to secure a crucial 2-1 win over Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium.

Villa came flying out the blocks, with Marcus Rashford rattling the post inside 20 seconds.

But it was City who struck first – Omar Marmoush skinned Matty Cash and pulled it back for Bernardo Silva, whose scruffy finish somehow found its way in via Emiliano Martinez’s hands and knees.

The drama dialled up when Villa were awarded a penalty after Ruben Dias clipped Jacob Ramsey in the box in the 18th minute. VAR called the ref over, he gave it, and Rashford sent Ortega the wrong way to level the scores.

Pep Guardiola was booked for protesting what he saw as a soft call, and the game boiled over with both sides flying into tackles and the crowd growing increasingly hostile.

City controlled proceedings after the break, pinning Villa back and piling on pressure with a relentless stream of corners.

They came close to a breakthrough when James McAtee nearly produced a moment of brilliance - cushioning a sublime first touch before attempting an audacious lob, only to see his effort drift agonisingly wide.

Villa, to their credit, dug in defensively. Amadou Onana and Boubacar Kamara were particularly impressive with a string of crucial interventions, while Rashford remained a constant outlet on the counter, going close with a low effort that found only the side netting.

Sensing the need for a spark, Guardiola introduced Jeremy Doku and the Belgian winger made an immediate impact.

With the clock ticking into stoppage time, he surged past his marker down the left and fired a low cross through the six-yard box, and arriving at the far post was Matheus Nunes, who calmly slotted home to win the game for the Citizens.

With this victory, City move up to third in the Premier League, now a point ahead of Nottingham Forest. Aston Villa, on the other hand, remain in seventh, just two points off the top five, though they've played one match more than the teams directly above them — Chelsea, Newcastle, and Forest.