Aston Villa were defeated 4-1 at the Etihad Stadium last night however, one star was still able to show his worth to Unai Emery against Manchester City.
It was a rough night for Aston Villa, in a game where the scoreline didn’t wholly tell the story of the fixture.
To put it simply, Unai Emery’s side was left spellbound by the talents of Phil Foden, who netted a hattrick to determine the direction of the points as Pep Guardiola’s squad asserted their dominance in the second half.
The fixture wasn’t as one-sided as the 4-1 scoreline suggests, particularly in the first half where up until just before the interval, the score was level.
Rodri’s 11th-minute opener was wiped out by Jhon Duran’s superb equaliser, a goal that rightly saw the Colombian earn an abundance of praise.
Jhon Duran stood out for Aston Villa despite Man City defeat
Lauded as a “beast” by U23 scout Antonio Mango for his goal, Duran showed just why Emery can trust him in the absence of Ollie Watkins, with his performance being exemplary from the off.
The lively 20-year-old looked ready to duel City from kick-off, chasing down every ball, looking positive in possession and even providing defensive cover at times.
As per Sofascore, the standby striker recorded a goal from his only shot on target in the game, as well as providing one key pass and completing 50% of his dribble attempts in an assertive display.
While Duran showcased just what he could offer to Emery’s side in all areas of his game against an incredibly well-worked opposition, it was the forward’s goal that earned him the most praise.
BBC Sport pundit Paul Robinson branded the Colombia international as “fabulous” for his work to create and execute the goal.
“It is a fantastic one-two between Jhon Duran and Morgan Rogers, but he still had lots of work to do. He sneaks the ball past the keeper and into the far corner, fabulous finish.”
Jhon Duran showed his quality to Unai Emery against Man City
While it was an evening to forget for Villa as a collective, it was a memorable night for Duran, who showed glimpses of his potential on what was a trailing night for the 20-year-old.
When Watkins was ruled out of the fixture, it was suspected that Villa would struggle to score against City, with the absence of their 16-goal talisman expected to be glaringly obvious.
That was not the case thanks to Duran, whose energy and work both on and off the ball saw him create many passages of positive play to motivate his teammates to push for more against the treble winners.
It’s difficult for the youngster, who will remain as the firm second-choice forward behind Watkins, who could return against Brentford on the weekend however, his display against City certainly showed the manager that he can be relied on.
