Aston Villa did something against Manchester City that no other Premier League team has – Here’s how
Aston Villa emerged victorious against Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday.
Matty Cash‘s goal was enough to see Villa beat Manchester City 1-0, with Unai Emery‘s side marking their fourth consecutive Premier League win.
It has been a remarkable turnaround for the Villans, who started the season without a win in the opening six fixtures across all competitions.
Morgan Rogers was excellent against Manchester City, with the England international experiencing a resurgence of his own in recent weeks.
But it could have been a very different day for him, with Rogers lucky not to give away a penalty for pushing Josko Gvardiol.
Aston Villa stop Erling Haaland in his tracks
Erling Haaland had been identified as the danger man by Villa, and for good reason.
The Norway international has been in unbelievable form this season, scoring 11 goals and providing an assist in just his first eight matches in the Premier League.
Before the Villa match, the striker had scored in his last 12 games across all competitions, including on the international stage.
Considering the Villans were poor defensively as they lost to Go Ahead Eagles on Thursday, too, keeping out Haaland felt a tall task.
But not only did Emery’s side keep a clean sheet, they reduced Haaland to just 0.23 expected goals – the lowest tally the forward has generated in any of his appearances across all competitions this season, according to Statmuse.
How did Villa stop Haaland?
Ezri Konsa was brought back into the starting line-up against Manchester City, with Emery keen to utilise any pace at his disposal.
And the defender did not let down his manager, making six clearances, three interceptions and two blocks during the game.
Pau Torres, too, enjoyed a terrific game, making four clearances and clearing one ball off the line, but it was Konsa who stood out.
| Ezri Konsa | Match stats | Pau Torres |
| 90 | Minutes played | 90 |
| 62/65 | Accurate passes | 51/56 |
| 1 | Tackles | 0 |
| 2 | Blocks | 2 |
| 6 | Clearances | 4 |
| 4 | Recoveries | 1 |
| 3 | Interceptions | 0 |
| 3 | Duels won | 0 |
The England international seemed to get the better of Haaland every time the two faced off, the striker winning just one of his three duels.
There was undoubtedly an element of luck about Villa’s victory – Haaland did get away from Konsa in the first half but shot straight at Emi Martinez, and would have had a goal if not for the offside flag.
But for now, at least, the Villans can lay claim to having been the only team to stop the Norwegian in the last two months.
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