Martin Keown dazzled by MOTD footage of 'special' Aston Villa star in win vs Man City
Martin Keown was left in awe of Aston Villa's attacking display against Manchester City.
If there was any lingering doubt that a corner hadn't yet been turned at Villa Park, that's now been extinguished completely.
Unai Emery's side defeated Man City 2-1 on Saturday lunchtime, in what was a memorable result in B6.
Nicolas Jackson gave the Villains the lead after six minutes, before Erling Haaland equalised just minutes into the second half.
But it would be Jackson again who found the net on the hour mark, setting Villa up for the three points they'd go on to collect.
The Senegalese international will've been the toast of the Villa Park faithful on Saturday night, and Keown has dug into his performance.
What did Martin Keown say about Nicolas Jackson after Man City win?
It's not a stretch to say that Jackson is playing the best football of his career with Aston Villa.
His brace against City moves him to seven goals from 11 appearances in all competitions in 2026-27 so far.
Jackson's best goalscoring season is 17 goals in all competitions with Chelsea in 2023-24, and so he's fully on pace to break that this term.
Analysing his display on BBC's Match of the Day on Saturday night, Arsenal icon Keown thinks Villa will go far with the striker this season.
"You need a striker that gives you the belief that you can win games when you're suffering, and this guy, honestly, he's a special talent. A really top signing for Aston Villa," he said.
"Jackson is so composed. [Elliot] Anderson flies past him, and he lifts it above a top goalkeeper. Really good.
"This is where he travels now with the ball very calmly. He's intelligent with his movement. Everyone waiting for him. Breaks down on this occasion but you know you've got a striker you can believe in.
"He has to be dynamic, and here he is. Good strength, [Ruben] Dias 'get off me', and he starts to run and half the team's chasing him and he still manages to get a shot off from distance.
"Just look at this [second goal]. First touch, into space, and he's just waiting, waiting. Mbaye's just come off the bench, lovely ball in and he's emphatic. With a talent like that you can go a long way this season."
So, aside from his two goals, just how good was Jackson's all-round game when looking at his underlying numbers against Man City?
How many duels did Jackson win vs Man City?
First and foremost, your job as a centre-forward is of course to score goals, and Jackson is doing that at the moment.
But especially under a coach like Emery, the striker is expected to contribute heavily in all aspects of the game as well.
Jackson certainly did so on Saturday, as showcased via his hugely impressive underlying numbers.
Per FotMob, no player on the pitch took more shots than Jackson's three, whilst he also completed both of his two dribble attempts and long ball attempts successfully.
He played two line-breaking passes, made five recoveries which was the joint-most of any Villa outfielder, whilst also winning three fouls.
In terms of duels, Jackson won six on the ground and two in the air; no player on the pitch made more sprints than his 15 either.
Overall then, Jackson led the Villa line in exemplary fashion against Man City, being so much more than just a goalscorer.