Aston Villa 2-1 Man City: Nicolas Jackson double ends perfect start

Nicolas Jackson scored twice as Aston Villa beat Manchester City 2-1 at Villa Park on Saturday, ending Enzo Maresca's perfect start to the Premier League season. Erling Haaland headed City level early in the second half, but Jackson restored Villa's lead on the hour and Unai Emery's side held on for their first home league win of the campaign.

Match facts

• Result: Aston Villa 2-1 Manchester City (half-time 1-0)
• Competition: Premier League, Matchweek 8
• Venue: Villa Park, Birmingham
• Scorers: Aston Villa - Jackson 6', 60'; Manchester City - Haaland 52'
• Red cards: None
• Next: AFC Bournemouth v Aston Villa (19:45 UK) and Manchester City v Brighton & Hove Albion (19:30 UK), Carabao Cup fourth round, Wednesday 28 October

How the match unfolded

Villa started fast and led in the sixth minute. Marc Guéhi miscontrolled a pass as City tried to build from the back, John McGinn pounced and played in Jackson, who cut inside Elliot Anderson and fired high into the net past Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Zion Suzuki dived to keep out an Iliman Ndiaye drive in the 14th minute and smothered a Rayan Cherki shot in the 21st, after good work from Jérémy Doku on the left. Ndiaye later struck the foot of the post, and Suzuki also saved from Abdukodir Khusanov. Villa remained dangerous on the break: Guéhi was booked in the 32nd minute for pulling Jackson down on the edge of the area, and Rúben Dias needed a fine tackle to stop Alysson in the 39th.

Maresca replaced Guéhi and Cherki, both on yellow cards, with Rico Lewis and Phil Foden at half-time. In the 52nd minute Ndiaye crossed from the right after a worked free-kick and Haaland rose to head in his ninth league goal of the season, scoring in a seventh straight Premier League match. Soon afterwards Suzuki pushed a Josko Gvardiol shot onto the crossbar.

Villa struck again on the hour. Jackson released substitute Ibrahim Mbaye, who had just come on, down the right, and met the low return ball with a first-time shot that squirmed under Donnarumma.

Suzuki came out bravely to block Gvardiol in the 69th minute, and Jackson left to a standing ovation with eight minutes remaining. In the closing stages Ian Maatsen cleared a goal-bound Haaland header off the line to secure the points.

What it means

City had won their first seven league games and were chasing a club-record eighth successive league win at the start of a season. They stay top, three points clear of Arsenal, who hosted Everton later on Saturday with a game in hand. It was City's fourth successive league defeat at Villa Park, and Villa's fifth win in their last seven meetings with City, coming on the fourth anniversary of Emery's appointment.

"We created many chances but unfortunately didn't score them," Maresca told BBC Match of the Day. "We learn and move on."

City had won 3-0 at Liverpool earlier this month, and Foden started on the bench after his hat-trick against AEK Athens in midweek.

Villa, who lost their first two league games, have taken 11 points from the last six and move up to sixth. Jackson, signed from Chelsea in the summer, now has seven goals in 11 appearances for the club, including two in the 6-0 Champions League win over Fenerbahçe.

What's next

Both clubs return to action in the Carabao Cup fourth round on Wednesday, with Villa at AFC Bournemouth and City at home to Brighton. On Saturday 31 October, City host Brighton again in the Premier League and Villa welcome Fulham at 20:00 UK.

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