Nicolas Jackson scored twice to give Aston Villa a significant 2-1 Premier League victory over Manchester City at Villa Park. The win lifts Villa to 12th in the table with eight points from seven games, ending a run of four consecutive wins across all competitions. This league position reflects a record of two wins and three draws from their opening seven fixtures, with seven goals scored and eleven conceded. Jackson opened the scoring after just six minutes, finishing from a John McGinn assist. Erling Haaland equalised for the visitors seven minutes into the second half, heading in from an Iliman Ndiaye set-piece. Jackson restored Villa's lead on the hour mark, converting a pass from substitute Ibrahim Mbaye to secure the three points.
Unai Emery's side were disciplined and resilient, defending their lead despite City enjoying 63% possession. The visitors had 15 shots to Villa's eight but found goalkeeper Zion Suzuki in fine form, making six saves. The match saw eight yellow cards, four for each side, in a fiercely contested encounter.
"We deserved the win, the players showed great heart and character," said manager Unai Emery after the match.
The result is a major boost for Villa's league campaign, moving them to within 13 points of leaders Manchester City. Their recent form has been strong, with victories over Viking, Newcastle, and Fenerbahçe preceding this result. The team's recent results show four wins and a draw in their last five matches, including a 3-1 win over Viking, a 1-0 victory at Newcastle, a 6-0 thrashing of Fenerbahçe, and a 2-2 draw with Brentford. The team now turns its attention to the League Cup, facing Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Wednesday. Their next Premier League fixture is at home to Fulham on Saturday 31 October.
Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca said both goals his side conceded in the 2-1 defeat at Villa Park were avoidable. "We only conceded those two chances, but we created a lot," Maresca told reporters also defended Marc Guehi, who was substituted at half-time, saying he was "not worried at all" about the defender's form. The result leaves Villa 12th in the Premier League with eight points from seven games.
