Aston Villa were blown away by Manchester City at the Etihad on Wednesday night however, one Villan shocked Ally McCoist and Darren Fletcher for one magic moment.
Unai Emery watched on as his side were dismantled by Manchester City on Wednesday night, as Aston Villa lost 4-1 to the treble winners.
It was expected to be a difficult night before kick-off, not only due to the hosts’ record at home, but due to the heavily changed squad that the manager opted to play.
Six changes were made to the XI that beat Wolves on Saturday however, there wasn’t too much to complain about considering the strength of City, who simply blew the visitors away.
The first half was a different game to what was seen in the second, with one Villa star seeing his actions before the interval heavily praised.
TNT Sports pundits loved what Morgan Rogers did v Man City
While Phil Foden and City will steal the headlines in what was a dominant second-half display, the Villans showed some fight in the opening 45 minutes.
Heads didn’t drop when Rodri netted the hosts’ opener, as Jhon Duran levelled the scoring soon after with a delightfully worked goal that saw Morgan Rogers record his first assist in the Premier League.
While Duran was the scorer, Rogers received a host of praise from TNT commentary duo Ally McCoist and Darren Fletcher for his work to set up his teammate.
McCoist said in reaction to the assist:
“Brilliant give and go, the weight of that pass is brilliant. The pass takes out Diaz beautifully.”
“You talk about a one-two and watching the ball, that was the perfect give and go from Duran and Rogers.”
Fletcher was in agreement with McCoist’s high praise of the 21-year-old, saying:
“Lovely slick passing and perfect timing as well.”
Morgan Rogers was a bright spark for Aston Villa v Man City
In recent weeks, the January arrival has shown his worth to Emery, filling in for the absent Jacob Ramsey on the left wing.
Against Manchester City, the former Championship whiz showed no signs of struggling to adapt to the demands of the top flight as he caused his former club problems consistently in the first half.
The youngster’s awareness and ability to play a perfect ball to Duran to ensure Villa would net the equaliser was impressive, making McCoist and Fletcher’s praise of the England U21 jewel understandable.
It was a night to forget for Villa, however, Rogers will hope to build on his explosive display as the games continue to come thick and fast, with Brentford next up in the Premier League.
