It looked like the match was going to end in a draw. Jérémy Doku got around Axel Disasi and found Matheus Nunes for the' 90'+4' stoppage time goal to give Man City the 2-1 win over Aston Villa. It's not so much that the late score happened. Sometimes, a team can find late heroics and snatch away three points from something that should have ended in a draw.
This wasn't quite the case either way. The hosts did well at the Etihad and had the majority of possession. A point each would have been fair for both sides. Despite having a lot of the ball and being in Villa's half, they didn't offer too much. Certainly, they looked far from the Man City team of old.
When AVFC had the ball and looked to go forward, it was clear that the host's back line could be exposed. After a first-half shot off the crossbar, Marcus Rashford nearly dribbled around Stefan Ortega for what would have been a goal to take the lead. In general, before he was subbed off for Ollie Watkins, the midfielders were seemingly able to get the ball to him with ease.
In general, this shows how much MCFC commanded the game. When Villa looked positive and wanting to attack, they showed their quality. Unfortunately for the visitors, those moments didn't happen often enough. Instead, it was the home team that found the way at the end to eke out a result that they could credibly argue they deserved, but no one would have been disappointed or felt cheated if the final whistle had resulted in a draw.
Important, immediate challenge for Emery
This leaves Unai Emery with an interesting aspect to consider. At Villa Park, his side is unbeatable. The Spaniard has shown a clear difference when playing in B6 compared to anywhere else. It becomes even more glaringly true when facing an opposition side that he views as worthy of his respect.
That isn't to say that the right team didn't win, but that third goal of the match did take the wind out of the sails. Emery will now be faced with the challenge of likely facing an angry dressing room of players who feel like they could have impacted enough to provide the three points. And they will face an essential club challenge on Saturday when Aston Villa face Crystal Palace in the FA Cup semi-finals.