Nunes’ Late Strike Secures Crucial Victory for Manchester City Against Aston Villa

In an exhilarating finish, Matheus Nunes found the back of the net in the 94th minute, securing Manchester City a crucial 2-1 victory over Aston Villa. This win not only bolstered their quest for UEFA Champions League qualification but also marked the 15th consecutive league victory at home against Villa for the Cityzens.

Fresh off five straight Premier League victories, Villa nearly started the match on the front foot, with Marcus Rashford striking the woodwork just 18 seconds in.

After surviving that early scare, City quickly regained their composure and took the lead in the seventh minute when Bernardo Silva scored with a powerful finish, evading the reach of Emiliano Martinez following some impressive play from Omar Marmoush.

Unfazed by the setback, Villa were soon awarded a golden opportunity to equalise when VAR intervened, ruling that Ruben Dias had fouled Jacob Ramsey inside the penalty area.

Shifting the responsibility to Rashford after their previous penalty misses in their last away match, the forward coolly slotted the ball past Stefan Ortega, levelling the score for Unai Emery’s side.

As half-time approached, both teams created chances; Kevin De Bruyne was denied by Martinez’s reflex save, while Ortega raced off his line to thwart Rashford’s effort on goal.

Seeking to extend their six-match unbeaten run in all competitions (W4, D2), City controlled possession at the start of the second half.

However, clear opportunities were hard to come by. James McAtee nearly opened the scoring with a creative lob that just missed the far post. Despite having less possession, Villa still posed a threat on the counter, with Rashford getting past Ortega only to hit the side-netting from a tight angle.

With the match finely balanced as the final 20 minutes approached, both teams pushed hard for a critical winning goal.

City appeared to be running out of options when Marmoush had a well-taken shot disallowed for offside. But in the fourth minute of stoppage time, the decisive moment arrived as Jeremy Doku’s low cross was expertly tapped in by Nunes at the back post.

This result gave City their ninth home victory in 12 matches in 2025, while Villa’s dream of extending their unparalleled unbeaten streak on the road since 2008/09 came to an abrupt end.