Unai Emery has ‘great’ Aston Villa star to thank for win vs Man City after what Danny Murphy saw on MOTD
Aston Villa put in a massive shift to secure three points against Manchester City on Sunday.
Villa beat Man City 1-0 in a hard-fought victory as Pep Guardiola fell to defeat at Villa Park for the third season in a row.
It was goals from Jhon Duran and Morgan Rogers in B6 last season, and this time it was a controversial Matty Cash strike against Man City that sealed the victory.
Amadou Onana put in a stellar shift against City, as did his teammates, as Unai Emery’s side made it four consecutive Premier League wins.
The Belgium international may have taken the headlines, but it was another Villa star who caught the eye of Danny Murphy in the Midlands.
Danny Murphy blown away by Pau Torres vs Manchester City
Rogers was also superb for Villa against City, constantly looking to get on the ball and make things happen in claret and blue.
The Englishman was particularly influential in the first half because the second 45 became hugely important in just shutting the away side out.
Blocks were flying in from a vast number of Villa stars, from Onana to Ross Barkley, as the hosts managed to keep City at bay until the final whistle.
It could have been so different had Savinho found the net after his powerful effort looked destined for the net.
Luckily for Emery’s men, Pau Torres was in the right place at the right time to block the shot and magically deflect it over the crossbar.
Speaking via Match of the Day on 26 October, Murphy was blown away by the Spaniard and his Villa colleagues as they kept a well-earned clean sheet.
He said: “Second half, City were much better and made changes. Villa had to defend for their lives, but I tell you what, they did it brilliantly. This is a great clearance from Torres.“
Torres helped to secure win for Aston Villa vs Manchester City
The campaign began with Tyrone Mings as Villa’s starting centre-half alongside the virtual ever-present of Ezri Konsa.
That has changed now as the ex-Villarreal man is now looking immovable alongside his England international partner at Villa Park.
Emery’s faith in Torres was certainly repaid against City as the 28-year-old arguably had the win-defining moment to block Savinho’s shot.
Torres’ impact didn’t stop there as he also maintained a 91 per cent pass accuracy and chipped in with six defensive actions in B6.
His four clearances and two blocks made a telling impact on the result, and the Villans have him to thank for his one goalline clearance.
Torres changed everything, sealing the points even when it looked impossible to do so.
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