Matty Cash sinks Manchester City to maintain Aston Villa’s climb up the table

For Manchester City and Erling Haaland, another fruitless visit to Villa Park. It was not quite last season, when defeat here approaching Christmas was a ninth in a dozen matches, but it was equally painful. With a minute of regular time to play, Haaland clattered into a post after meeting a cross by Omar Marmoush, having squeezed the ball over the Aston Villa goalline. But the assistant referee raised his flag and, as Haaland lay wincing, a check from the video assistant referee confirmed the goal would not stand.

There is sufficiently much more positivity surrounding Pep Guardiola’s side at present but this proved another frustrating trip, Matty Cash’s superbly taken strike ultimately the difference. Villa have now won their last four Premier League matches.

On his previous visit here Haaland registered 18 touches, with just one in the opposition box, and afterwards criticised his own performance. This time he managed 16 touches, recording three in the Villa penalty area, and City’s only other notable efforts on goal were tame efforts courtesy of Haaland, who twice saw Emiliano Martínez comfortably gather. For Villa, this was a welcome return to winning ways after a shock Europa League defeat at the mid-table Eredivisie side Go Ahead Eagles on Thursday.

With three minutes of regular time to play, the home support cheered in unison as Martínez gobbled up a potentially deceiving deflected shot from Rayan Cherki, one of those Guardiola called upon to change the course of the game. Cash, the catalyst for Emi Buendía’s superb winner at Tottenham last week, was the hero this time, controlling a first-half corner with his right foot before driving inside and lashing a left-foot strike inside Gianluigi Donnarumma’s net with his next touch.