Man City Advances to Third in Premier League After Late Victory

MANCHESTER: Manchester City clinched a dramatic 2-1 victory against Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday. Matheus Nunes’s late goal significantly boosted their aspirations for UEFA Champions League qualification.

The home side took an initial advantage in the 7th minute, with Bernardo Silva scoring after a Villa defensive lapse. However, Aston Villa equalized in the 18th minute when Marcus Rashford successfully converted a penalty kick awarded after Ruben Dias was judged to have committed a foul on Jacob Ramsey.

As the match approached a draw, Nunes scored in the 94th minute. He finished a superb low cross from Jeremy Doku, earning a vital three points for his team.

“It was very important. This was a tough game against a strong opponent. We came with the mentality to win, and that’s what we did,” Nunes commented after the game.

The Portuguese midfielder voiced his pleasure at achieving his first Premier League goal of the season, adding, “Perfect timing! It couldn’t have come at a better moment.”

Pep Guardiola lauded his team’s fortitude against an Aston Villa team that had recently challenged Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarter-finals.

“I’m really happy. We’re in the last four in the last five games and a Champions League contender for qualification.

“Aston Villa is a team to the last man, one of the top teams in Europe.

“We played really good. We were aggressive in our duels, and the back-four was unbelievable.

“Football is emotion. For the fans, players, we have a lot of pressure for the club to go to the Champions League.

“The players behave unbelievable – we are so pleased. The action from Jeremy Doku, he can create something with his pace.”

With this result, Manchester City now holds the third spot in the Premier League standings with 61 points, marginally ahead of Nottingham Forest, which sits in fourth place.

Aston Villa is currently seventh in the league and remains in contention for a top-five finish, which would secure a Champions League spot for the next season.