Manchester City will head into Christmas with some serious issues to sort out after their remarkable downfall at Villa Park continued this afternoon.
Pep Guardiola's side have now managed just one win in 12 games in all competitions after goals from John Doran and Morgan Rogers earned Aston Villa a deserved three points.
In fact, the defeat could have been much heavier, as City rode their luck before Doran scored the opener in the 16th minute, before Rogers sealed the ball midway through the second half.
Phil Foden pulled one back in stoppage time for the four-time Premier League champions, but they still looked miles away from their best.
Despite the injuries, City were a disorganized mess and could finish the weekend in ninth place in the Premier League table.
Guardiola left Kyle Walker and Kevin De Bruyne on the bench, while Villa made headlines by including Duran at the expense of Ollie Watkins.
Early chances go begging for Villa
The Colombian striker almost returned the favor to coach Unai Emery within 19 seconds. Josko Gvardiol slowed down the ball, allowing John McGinn to break through and put Doran in the goal but he shot the ball early and Stefan Ortega made a good save.
The German excelled in taking the resulting corner kick, jumping to his left to push Pau Torres' header onto the underside of the crossbar with the ball failing to cross the goal line by millimetres.
City were all over the place defensively and it was no surprise when the deadlock was broken shortly after the quarter-hour mark.
The impressive Youri Tielemans passed the ball to Rogers from the left, and his cross was perfect for Duran to slot home.
John Doran opens the scoring and Aston Villa takes the lead 🤩
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/RvI7nQl6cs
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) December 21, 2024
Jack Grealish, who played the villain in the pantomime against his former club, was the only bright spark for Matty Cash as he gave Matty Cash a torrid time down Villa's right flank. His investigation enabled Foden to fire a shot on goal, which was well blocked by Emiliano Martinez, before Grealish himself saw a shot blocked by the Argentine goalkeeper.
Walker replaced John Stones for the second half but did little to bolster the visitors' backline as Cash wasted a great chance three minutes into the second half, shooting into the side netting rather than picking up a Villa shirt in the penalty area.
Duran had a goal ruled out for offside after 50 minutes before Rogers hit the left post with Gvardiol slowing again.
Rogers punishes former club
The second goal seemed to be coming and it arrived after 65 minutes. This time it was former City player Rogers who scored after starting and finishing the move which saw him played in by McGinn.
Morgan Rogers scores 2-0 for Aston Villa 🔥
Defensive problems continue for Man City 😳
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/vuutXbzjas
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) December 21, 2024
Watkins was brought on for a spin and almost made an immediate impact, parrying well from Ortega with a low shot.
Foden managed to score his first league goal of the season in stoppage time, benefiting from some great work from substitute Savinho, but that was little consolation for City, whose problems continue.
