Manchester City vs Aston Villa LIVE: Premier League result, final score and reaction
Follow all the action from Etihad Stadium
Follow live coverage as Manchester City face Aston Villa today in the Premier League. Another top-flight season will be covered in full right here with The Independent, as reigning champions Manchester City look to make it an unprecedented five titles in a row come the end of 2024/25.
The likes of Arsenal and Liverpool will be chasing Pep Guardiola's side, but just as fascinating will be the race for Champions League places, with more teams than ever before having designs on top-four finishes. Chelsea remain big-spending, Manchester United's latest rebuild continues and both Tottenham and Newcastle will expect improvements this year - yet it was Aston Villa who snared fourth last term.
Meanwhile, it's Southampton, Leicester City and Ipswich Town who made it back to the elite after promotion last year and each will have hope they can make it more than a one-year stay. Follow the latest live action from the Premier League below:
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
Striking deep into stoppage time, Manchester City provide a dramatic twist in the Premier League's top-five fight, as they pip Aston Villa to three precious points at the Etihad. A moment of magic from Doku set up Nunes to score his first goal of the season, sending the home fans wild and taking City four points above Villa in the table - they now sit third. The hosts had much more of the ball but were guilty of some wayward finishing, with only an early Bernardo Silva strike to show for their efforts within normal time. Rashford's equaliser from the penalty spot seemed sufficient for Unai Emery's side to secure a valuable draw, but they were undone at the last and stay seventh in the standings. Though City finished with an xG of 1.09 to Villa's 1.68, they took twice as many shots, and they were ultimately deserving winners. Having played their 34th league fixture today, both teams will now feature in the FA Cup semi-finals this weekend - City meet Nottingham Forest, while Villa play Crystal Palace - and they could soon reconvene in the cup final. That's all from Manchester today, so thank you for joining us and goodbye!
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
Nunes wins a corner by forcing McGinn to make a block near the byline. From the subsequent set-piece, De Bruyne's latest delivery picks out Dias, whose tame looping header is gathered gratefully by Martinez in the centre of his goal.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
There will be at least five more minutes for either side to win it, as stoppage time is confirmed by the officials. One moment of magic - or madness - could yet make all the difference.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
Gesticulating wildly on the touchline, both Emery and Guardiola are frantically urging one last effort from their players. A late, late winner could prove pivotal in securing Champions League qualification, so there's plenty of tension in the air.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
Following Asensio's corner, which is not fully cleared, Malen tries his luck from the edge of the box. Lacking sufficient pace, the sub's shot drifts straight through to Ortega.
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