Matheus Nunes scored in the 94th minute to give Manchester City an important 2-1 win over Aston Villa in the Premier League, helping them in their fight to qualify for the Champions League. The win also kept City’s strong home record against Villa going, making it 15 straight league wins at the Etihad.
Villa came into the match on a high after five league wins in a row and nearly took the lead straight away, with Marcus Rashford hitting the post just 18 seconds in. City settled quickly after that scare and went ahead in the 7th minute when Bernardo Silva finished well following a good run from Omar Marmoush.
Villa didn’t let their heads drop and soon got a penalty after VAR spotted a foul by Rúben Dias on Jacob Ramsey. Even though Villa had missed two penalties in their last away match, Rashford stepped up confidently and sent the goalkeeper the wrong way to make it 1-1. Both teams had chances before half-time – Kevin De Bruyne’s header was saved, and Ortega had to come off his line quickly to stop Rashford at the other end.
In the second half, City kept most of the ball and looked to continue their six-game unbeaten run in all competitions. They found it hard to create clear chances though, with James McAtee going close with a lob that just missed. Villa still looked dangerous on the counter, and Rashford beat Ortega but shot into the side-netting from a tight angle.
With the match finely balanced, both teams pushed for a late winner. City thought they had scored through Marmoush, but it was ruled out for offside. Then, deep into stoppage time, Jérémy Doku sent a low cross into the box, and Nunes was there at the back post to tap in the winner.
That goal gave City their ninth home win of 2025, while Villa missed the chance to go four away games unbeaten in the league for the first time since the 2008/09 season.
