Manchester City made their points both on and off the field, which put more pressure on Arsenal to win the title.
The reigning champions, in their first game since being hit with over 100 financial charges by the Premier League, are now just three points behind current leaders Arsenal ahead of their trip to the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.
After fans booed the Premier League anthem, cheered manager Pep Guardiola and held banners hitting out at the investigation, City raced into a three-goal lead by half-time thanks to a Rodri header, Ilkay Gundogan’s close-range finish and Riyad Mahrez’s penalty.
Ollie Watkins pulled a goal back for Villa in the second half when the visitors improved, but they ultimately fell short.
Here are the game’s talking points.
1. Man City’s most important player stands up again
Rodri opened the scoring with a header ( Image: Offside via Getty Images)
Erling Haaland might break all the records and Kevin De Bruyne might grab all the fantasy points, but neither of them takes the crown of City’s most important player.
That’s because midfielder Rodri is so vital to everything that Pep Guardiola wants to do, sitting in front of the defence and knitting together so much of what is important to the manager, something he didn’t do during an off game at Tottenham last weekend.
Without him they can look ragged, and while City’s centre-backs are always grateful for his presence in front of them, opposition defenders are likely to feel the opposite, particularly Aston Villa’s.
His opener here was his fourth goal against Villa, double the amount he’s managed against any other side, and it all looked so easy.
Rodri has that ability to make most things look easy, in truth.
2. Route One 2.0
Erling Haaland latched on to a long ball to eventually find Ilkay Gundogan for the second goal ( Image: Getty Images)
You run the risk of sounding daft for suggesting City haven’t got the best out of a player who has scored 31 goals in 29 appearances for them this season, but looking daft has never bothered us around here.
It’s obvious what is implied when it comes to the discussion about Haaland and City though, as the way Guardiola’s side plays can negate the explosivity which has been so useful for the Norwegian in the past.
We saw it here though, with the long ball that he eventually turned into an assist for Gundogan to make it 2-0.
It was pure strength and brute power from Haaland, and it impressed the watching Jamie Carragher a week on from his suggestion that the forward might well have joined the wrong club.
“City should play that ball 5/6 times a half, if they don’t it’s a waste of Haaland’s strengths!” he tweeted.
All those strengths were on show here.
3. Safety first
Guardiola took Haaland and Ruben Dias off at half-time ( Image: Getty Images)
They weren’t on show for that long though.
Haaland got his assist for Gundogan’s goal and then didn’t take the penalty that was tucked away by Mahrez, and then his afternoon was abruptly ended at half-time.
Ruben Dias departed at the break too, in what was surely a nod from Guardiola towards a huge impending match at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.
Barring any injury issues that the manager discloses at full-time you’d think both would be in the starting XI there, and with City breathing down a wobbling Arsenal’s neck their freshness could be vital.
4. Ollie Watkins continues to impress in bursts
Ollie Watkins grabbed Villa’s goal ( Image: PA)
That’s three in three for Watkins and seven for the season, and while he should almost certainly have scored more he does continue to impress in fits and starts.
He is a player who is perhaps better suited to playing in matches against the bigger sides as he runs into the space that has been provided for him by their propensity to attack, and he can be such a useful weapon for his team.
He has seven England caps to his name thus far and is outperforming several forwards around the national team at present, so surely Gareth Southgate hasn’t given up on him yet?
5. City are on the same page from top to bottom
Ferran Soriano took his seat at the Etihad on Sunday ( Image: PA)
In case you were in any element of doubt, Manchester City are up for this fight.
In their first game since the financial charges, the club were always going to present a united front and – driven by the tone of their public statements and indeed of their manager, who seems determined to put himself at the front and centre of this – the fans responded in kind.
Boos rang out for the Premier League anthem before the game, while Guardiola was given a rapturous reception and several banners told anyone investigating the club where they can go. One even praised Lord David Pannick, the top lawyer the club have hired to defend them. Strange times indeed.
They are unlikely to be the last we see of such scenes either, as the process threatens to drag on for years.
On the pitch there is a title race being run though, and this could be a significant weekend.
source: www.mirror.co.uk
