MATCH REPORT AND PLAYER RATINGS - ASTON VILLA 1-0 MANCHESTER CITY

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Manchester City were well beaten by Unai Emery's Aston Villa, as a deflected strike by Leon Bailey was enough to give Villa the edge in a game where the scoreline flattered the visitors.

Other than two quick fire efforts from the otherwise anonymous Erling Haaland in the first half (both of which were saved well by Argentinian goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez,) City didn't have a single shot on goal, which just goes to show the dominance shown by Villa from the first minute to the last.

Admittedly, City were missing key players in Kevin de Bruyne, both of Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku and, most importantly of all, Rodri. Naturally, this meant City were going to suffer, and it's no surprise that City had less control of the game than usual.

But the extent to which Villa took a grasp on the game and completely dominated City's makeshift midfield of the returning John Stones, Rico Lewis and Julian Alvarez was a surprise to everyone, particularly City manager Pep Guardiola, who only the day before said that if City performed like they did in their recent draws to Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur that they'd win the league again.

After having a raft of chances throughout the game, through the likes of Bailey, Pau Torres, John McGinn, Ollie Watkins and Youri Tielemans, it wasn't until the 74th minute until Villa pulled ahead through Bailey's right footed effort after driving at City's backline.

The Villains then saw them game out expertly, keeping possession well, maintaining a tight backline and even offering the threat of a second goal, and they'd have scored plenty more throughout the game had it not been for Ederson, who can hold his head up high after making a few excellent saves.

It was an undeniable blip for City, and after going four Premier League games without a win, fans are understandably concerned about the team's current form. But they'd be wise to keep the faith in Guardiola and his squad.

City have missed teams before into thinking they'd lost their winning way before - they did it last year, in the 2020/21 season and in the 2018/19 season, when they came from a long way behind the leaders to eventually win the Premier League in May.

And, despite this year's squad arguably being weaker than last year's (at least in midfield,) I still maintain full confidence that City will be the Premier League champions again come the end of the season.

Luton Town at the weekend should hopefully be a good game for City to get back in their rhythm. The Hatters will be happy to let City have the ball, so a more controlled game will certainly be in order.

So long as City are more creative minded going forward and defend transitions better, there's no reason why they can't get back on track with a comfortable victory.

Here are the player ratings for the disappointment at Villa Park:

Ederson - 7.5/10 - As mentioned above, the Brazilian goalkeeper helped to keep the score with numerous excellent saves, most notably from Torres towards the start of the game. His distribution from the back also was much more composed and up to standards than most of City's other players.

Walker - 5.5/10 - Struggled greatly playing against Villa's left winger/central midfield hybrid in McGinn, who admittedly had a superb game. Slightly shaky in possession, and was unable to offer much from an attacking perspective.

Dias - 6.5/10 - A solid performance from Dias, who was able to make Watkins Villa's quietest attacker. His build up play was slightly less good than usual, but as was everyone else's. It was much better for the 26 year old after a few dodgy performances in the last few weeks.

Akanji - 6/10 - Looked slightly more awkward than he has recently pushing forward into midfield. He is always serviceable, and sometimes excellent playing that role, but it's good to see Stones back and fitr again to take up that position.

Gvardiol - 5/10 - Villa's play down the right hand side often meant that Gvardiol was confused as to whether to mark either Tielemans or Bailey. This showed in the youngster's performance, as he looked nervous and indecisive all evening when isolated with Villa's goalscorer. His main weakness as a defender is in 1 vs 1 duels, meaning it may well be time for him to be trialled in his regular position of centre back before coming to City, or for him to move to the bench to make way for Nathan Ake just for the foreseeable future.

Stones - 5.5/10 - Looked understandably rusty due to his lack of football so far this season. Whilst he is the best player in the world at playing the defence/midfield hybrid role, playing as a solo holding midfielder appears not to work for Stones - not just because he'd need to defend in an unfamiliar way, but because it limits his freedom as the more advances midfielder in the double pivot when playing alongside Rodri.

Lewis - 6/10 - As usual, the 19 year old was tenacious and aggressive in midfield when City didn't have the ball. But, considering he is still raw and playing in an unnatural and highly difficult position, it's not surprising that Lewis struggled to help City create from the centre of the park.

Alvarez - 5.5/10 - Put a shift in off the ball, but like Lewis, he lacked the creative quality to help City create even a sniff of a chance after the opening stages.

Bernardo - 6.5/10 - Often, the Portuguese winger found himself isolated in 1 vs 1 situations outside, but a lack of attacking support from Walker and Lewis meant he had to work his way backwards. Was very effective at the start of the second half for a brief spell as a deep lying playmaker on the right hand side, but eventually Villa found a way to nullify his threat.

Haaland - 6/10 - The Norwegian striker was left isolated up front, as he was starved of service all evening. Could arguably have scored his first chance, and should definitely have scored his second chance, which would have likely been ruled out for offside anyway.

Foden - 6/10 - Quiet out on the left wing, as he was well marshalled by Villa right back Ezri Konsa. Created the one moment of quality from a City perspective in the game - as he glided through midfield and threaded it through to Haaland in behind. Ultimately, I don't feel like he should've been subbed off when he was, as there were worse performers on the pitch.

Substitutes:

Nunes - 5.5/10 - Quite sloppy from the bench, as the Portuguese midfielder looked unable to have any positive impact on the game. He really needs to pull his finger out if he is to start more often, as his start to life at City has been rather underwhelming to date.

Hopefully, his City career will go the same way as Bernardo, Jack Grealish and Joao Cancelo before him, with a significant improvement in their second seasons.

Kovacic - 6/10 - Contrary to the popular opinion, I feel that Kovacic looked reasonably sharp off the bench. He was the most willing City player to show for the ball, which helped City gain a bit more control and build the ball up from the back better. Personally, I think we should see the Croatian start at Luton, as his early season form shows he has the ability to make a significant impact.

Bobb - 5.5/10 - Hardly had a kick off the bench, as the game was well out of City's reach by the point he came on.