Four things we learned after Man City humbled Villa 4-1 at the Etihad to damage their Champions League hopes.
After a terrible start in Manchester, Jhon Duran managed to give Villa fans after when he cancelled out Rodri’s opener in the first half.
Yet, a Phil Foden free-kick right on the brink of half-time saw any hope of a point collapse. The hosts dominated the rest of the game with the English international netting a hat-trick to consolidate the victory.
While the result with no doubt be a tough one to take, a defeat was widely expected with City aiming for their fourth successive title.
Below, we list four things we learned from the game after Villa fell to their first defeat in four games.
Jhon Duran steps up for Aston Villa
Without star man Ollie Watkins, things looked bleak for Villa as they travelled to the Etihad. The England international pulled up against Wolves and was subsequently subbed off at half-time on Saturday.
This meant that Duran had the perfect opportunity to step up and show his quality against the Champions which he took with open arms.
Despite the visitors going 1-0 down early on, the striker was up for the tie and went close just after going behind.
Then, Duran started a stunning counter-attack that led to an equaliser. The 20-year-old did a wonderful give-and-go with Morgan Rogers before elegantly slotting the ball into the net.
It was a fantastic move by the visitors which tore apart one the best teams in the world with ease.
Despite the injuries bogging down Unai Emery’s side, the future looks very bright at Villa Park.
Douglas Luiz on thin ice
Despite being one of Villa’s best players this season, Douglas Luiz didn’t cover himself in glory in Manchester.
The midfielder arguably should have seen a second yellow in the first half after committing the foul that led to City’s second.
Now, the Brazilian will be trending on thin ice next game against Brentford. Douglas Luiz now has nine yellow cards in the Premier League. This means if he picks up a yellow against the Bees he will have to serve a two-match ban.
Any suspension would be a massive blow to Villa and their Champions League ambitions right at the end of the campaign.
Aston Villa failed to capitalise on Spurs’ draw
After Spurs’ 1-1 draw with West Ham, the ball was in Villa’s court. Emery’s side had a chance to move five points clear of Tottenham. However, this was always unlikely given the task they had in front of them.
Yet, on the cusp of half-time, it looked as if an unlikely draw may be possible after Duran’s equaliser.
Unfortunately, the match soon turned into the Foden show as the England international netted a hat-trick.
Not only are Spurs now two points behind with a game in hand but they also have a superior goal difference after the humbling.
While it might not matter too much with England likely to get a fifth Champions League spot, it is still concerning for the short-term future.
Long way to go until Aston Villa truly compete
While it looked like Villa could well be title challengers at Christmas after their victories against Arsenal and City, Wednesday showed how far away they were from the top three.
The hosts were in complete control throughout the second half and could have easily had more on the day.
City were on form and boxed Villa in, a complete contrast to the reverse fixture where Emery’s side were well on top.
While there is no doubt Villa’s rise is impeccable, it will certainly be a few years until they are truly Premier League title challengers.
