Nicolas Jackson in action for Aston Villa

Nicolas JacksonImago

Aston Villa player ratings vs Man City: Nicolas Jackson superb as 4/10 teammate has game to forget

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Published on:

24 Oct 2026, 1:22 pm

Aston Villa ended Manchester City's perfect start to the 2026-27 season with a 2-1 win.

Nicolas Jackson opened the scoring just six minutes into the game, with fine footwork and just as good a finish.

Erling Haaland would peg one back for the away team early into the second half with a header.

Not an ideal start to the second part of proceedings for Unai Emery's side.

However, Villa would continue to dig in and retake the lead through Jackson once again.

Emery is likely to be delighted with the overall performance rather than just the result itself.

Nicolas Jackson proving to be more than simply a goalscorer

Jackson may have scored twice against Man City, but the Senegalese forward proved to be much more than a typical poacher.

It was his second goal that in particular stood out, with his vision to pick out Ibrahim Mbaye on show before getting onto the end of his cross to score.

As per FotMob, Jackson was extremely effective in his duels, proving to be a headache for the City defenders.

He won six out of 11 ground duels, achieving a success rate of 55 per cent, while in his aerial battles he won both of his duels.

Jackson also managed to clock the highest number of sprints by the 82nd minute when he went off, showcasing his willingness to chase or run with the ball.

And his two completed dribbles out of two attempts prove his effectiveness.

When Villa lost Ollie Watkins, replacing him looked to be a struggle, but Jackson has made those concerns already disappear.

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Ian Maatsen struggles in battle against Iliman Ndiaye

Ian Maatsen was brought back into the fray to play the Citizens, and the Dutchman will not want to relive this performance.

Out on his wing, Iliman Ndiaye proved to be a tough opponent for the Villa defender, and that was clear through the Senegalese winger having the most touches in the opposition box (11) at the time he was brought off.

The 26-year-old found himself far too often in areas to cause problems, and it eventually punished Villa, when he lifted a cross into the path of Erling Haaland, albeit not through Maatsen's fault on that occasion.

Maatsen also committed two fouls, while Ndiaye's positioning limited his ability to utilise his attacking qualities.

The 24-year-old barely ventured forward, but perhaps that was all part of Emery's game plan.