Nunes fires late winner as Manchester City edge Aston Villa in UCL race
Man City moves third in the Premier League standings
MANCHESTER: Manchester City secured a dramatic 2-1 victory over Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday, bolstering their UEFA Champions League qualification hopes with a last-gasp winner from Matheus Nunes.
The hosts took an early lead in the 7th minute through a stunning strike from Bernardo Silva, who capitalized on a defensive error by Villa. However, the visitors responded in the 18th minute when Marcus Rashford converted a controversial penalty after Ruben Dias was deemed to have fouled Jacob Ramsey.
With the match seemingly headed for a draw, Nunes delivered the decisive blow in the 94th minute, slotting home a brilliant low cross from Jeremy Doku to seal a crucial three points for City.
"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 said post-match.
The Portuguese midfielder expressed his delight at scoring his first Premier League goal of the season, adding, "Perfect timing! It couldn’t have come at a better moment."
Pep Guardiola praised his team’s resilience against a Villa side that recently pushed Paris Saint-Germain hard 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 win, Manchester City climbs to third in the Premier League table with 61 points, just one ahead of fourth-placed Nottingham Forest.
For the unversed, Aston Villa sits at seventh, still in contention for a top-five finish, which secures Champions League spot next season.
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