Not much comes of City's corner. Up the other end, McGinn's attempted cross for El Ghazi sails harmlessly out of play.
90'
Foden bursts down the left flank for City and checks back inside on the edge of the box, winning City a corner. Four more minutes of this to finish.
88'
Villa want that consolation goal. Trezeguet shoots but finds a City man in the way, and Luiz blazes over from outside the box.
87'
Fernandinho gets a second yellow card and is sent off.
CITY GO DOWN TO TEN MEN! Fernandinho picks up his second yellow for wrangling Davis to the ground. He can have no complaints.
City are casually looking for a fourth. Silva's shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Foden finds a bit of space to get a shot away but it's not powerful enough to really test Heaton.
86'
There are still signs of life in Villa, who have kept their dignity intact. Trezeguet, who's switched to the left now, jinks past Cancelo and forces Ederson to dive to his left to catch a decent shot.
85'
Stones concedes a corner for Villa that McGinn comes across to take. McGinn's delivery is headed away by Fernandinho. City race upfield but can't get a shot at goal.
84'
A. El Ghazi enters the game and replaces J. Grealish.
Villa substitution. Grealish's day is done. El Ghazi replaces him.
82'
Foden angles a left-footed shot towards the bottom left corner from outside the box. Heaton catches it without much difficulty.
81'
İ. Gündoğan gets yellow.
Gundogan picks up a yellow for bringing down Trezeguet who's racing away on the break. Thought City didn't make tactical fouls?
Minute
Description
79'
Aguero holds the ball up well and hands it back to Silva who carries the ball into the box and passes wide to Bernardo Silva. Villa just about survive.
78'
Meanwhile, there's still just about a football game going on. City are popping the ball around without any sense of urgency, as is their right now. Villa half-heartedly chase.
76'
S. Agüero enters the game and replaces R. Sterling.
P. Foden enters the game and replaces K. De Bruyne.
City know the game's over too and decide to rotate. De Bruyne makes way for Foden.
City make their final change. Sterling makes his way from the pitch too. Aguero replaces him.
74'
Villa get two corners off Fernandinho and De Bruyne. City easily see off both. This game is very clearly over as a contest.
73'
Angeliño enters the game and replaces B. Mendy.
Mendy has bustled capably down that left flank for City today. He gets a rest. Angelino takes his place.
72'
Davis nearly makes an immediate impression as he fires wide from the centre of the box. Villa have nothing to lose by giving him a go now.
71'
K. Davis enters the game and replaces Wesley.
Villa substitution. Wesley, who's been largely ineffectual today, off. Villa's 21-year-old striker Davis, a product of the club's academy, comes on.
70'
İ. Gündoğan has scored a goal for Manchester City!
GOAL! 3-0 CITY! That's it for Villa now. City get an 11th corner that finds its way to Bernardo Silva, who fires wide from very close range! Gundogan is on hand to rifle in the rebound from the edge of the box.
67'
The City fans in the ground aren't happy with VAR, it suffices to say. It took about two minutes for that goal to be confirmed.
66'
It might be De Bruyne's goal, actually - Silva might not have actually touched it. Mendy gets the assist, and City look safe now.
65'
David Silva has scored a goal for Manchester City! Assist by K. De Bruyne.
GOAL! 2-0 CITY! City take the corner short and Mendy passes back to De Bruyne on the left flank. The Belgian curls the ball in with his right foot and David Silva is there to poke it into the net! VAR takes a long look and decides to allow it.
David Silva plays a clever inside pass to Sterling who darts around the outside of Guilbert. The move results in City's 10th corner of the game, and...
63'
City are understandably playing at a slower pace now they have the lead. Villa sit tight and wait. Bernardo Silva jinks inside and swishes a left-footed cross towards Jesus but Engels heads it away.
61'
De Bruyne's speculative rocket from range whistles wide. Up the other end, Luiz heads straight at Ederson from a lofted cross into the box. Villa are still in this.
60'
Fernandinho switches the play out wide to Mendy who can't quite beat Guilbert. Grealish angles a pass into the box for Wesley but Gundogan is there to sweep up.
58'
McGinn's free-kick from the left causes a touch of confusion in the City defence as Ederson flaps at it. In the end, City figure it out and win a throw near Villa's corner flag.
57'
Fernandinho gets yellow.
Grealish bustles towards City's box from the left and Fernandinho comes across to crudely take the Villa captain out. Cynical but clever.
54'
City get their eighth corner of the game. It's taken short to Mendy who fires in but Jesus is offside.
51'
De Bruyne fizzes in an excellent dipping effort that can't quite find a City head. Villa are clinging on at the moment.
50'
Targett trails a leg and trips Cancelo right on the edge of Villa's box. De Bruyne and David Silva are standing menacingly over the free-kick.
46'
R. Sterling has scored a goal for Manchester City!
The second half gets underway! Can City get a win to put the pressure on Liverpool at the top?
GOAL! 1-0 CITY! Well, that didn't take long. Jesus nods a long ball down to Sterling who races through on goal and rolls his shot under Heaton's legs. A simple goal. All Villa's good work in the first half has been undone in about 20 seconds.
45' +1
Nakamba gallops forward and feeds Trezeguet wide right. The Egyptian waits for support but Villa promptly lose the ball again. City counter but the referee blows for half-time anyway, prompting David Silva to belt the ball away. That's that for now!
HALF-TIME: MANCHESTER CITY 0-0 ASTON VILLA
45'
Villa survive another City attack and look to get forward. Luiz delivers an in-swinging cross from the left and Trezeguet can't connect with the ball. There'll be one added minute in this first half.
42'
Stones intercepts Guilbert's cross from the right. Villa will be glad to get to half-time unscathed.
40'
Meanwhile, City are still huffing and puffing. They get another corner. Sterling can't quite keep the ball in play by the goalline and it's a Villa goal-kick. Everyone's getting a bit frustrated.
37'
Bernardo Silva's predictable cross is headed away by Mings. City come again through Sterling, who attracts boos from the Villa fans.
36'
J. Grealish gets yellow.
Villa's corner is a waste. City promptly break through Sterling and Grealish muscles Sterling out. The England winger goes down and Grealish promptly talks himself into the book.
33'
Gundogan loops a ball over the top towards Sterling who passes outside to David Silva. Silva slips and brings down McGinn, giving away a free-kick. The City captain shakes his head. The inclement conditions aren't ideal to play in.
31'
Grealish gets closed down in his own half by De Bruyne and Villa's captain elects to pass back to Heaton, who fires a pass towards Wesley. The Brazilian can't quite keep the ball in play for the visitors.
30'
Villa get a few seconds of respite as they win two free-kicks in quick succession at the back due to over-zealous City pressing. They promptly lump the ball upfield and hand City possession again.
29'
Villa are having to endure plenty of pressure at the moment but they're just about holding their own. Whether they can handle this for another hour is a different matter.
27'
De Bruyne curls in one of his now-customary crosses from a right back position. It bounces through to the opposite side and McGinn puts Mendy off enough to win a goal-kick for Villa.
25'
City go upfield and win another corner off Trezeguet. Stones heads at goal and Heaton tips it over the bar. De Bruyne whips in another corner and this time Heaton punches away.
21'
Cancelo takes a pot shot from outside the box that's straight at Heaton in the Villa goal. City are upping the pressure.
20'
Villa clear the initial corner. Mendy blasts a shot straight at Trezeguet, who looks winded as a result. He better recover quickly - there's still three quarters of the game to go.
19'
Bernardo Silva cuts in on his left foot but his cross is blocked. The ball finds its way to Sterling on the opposite side and he shoots. It goes out for a corner off Engels. City claim handball but the officials are satisfied otherwise.
16'
De Bruyne unusually botches a City attack from the corner. Guardiola gives his players some encouragement down the touchline.
15'
Villa are edging into the game. Trezeguet beats Mendy to a high ball and the visitors are away. David Silva sticks a foot out at McGinn's cross and it loops over for a corner that City clear comfortably.
14'
Villa counter again through Grealish but there's no one in City's box to capitalise on his cross. Trezeguet fires in another cross from the right but Stones is there to stop it dead.
13'
A Villa counter through Wesley breaks down. City break themselves and Sterling cuts inside to roll a low shot towards goal that Mings blocks. This is lively stuff.
12'
City are aiming for Sterling at every opportunity. Guilbert heads down Gundogan's initial long pass and it's a throw for City. City pop the ball quickly through the middle and Villa rush it away.
10'
Sterling is giving Guilbert a torrid time. England's star man of the moment twists and turns past the full-back and aims a ball towards the far post. Targett beats Bernardo Silva to the cross. De Bruyne blazes over on the follow-up.
8'
Villa take the unwise decision of trying to pass out of the back. Nakamba can't keep a pass in play and City take the throw quickly. Jesus tries to latch onto a high cross from the right but Guilbert cannily nudges the Brazilian in the back as he rises to kill the chance.
7'
De Bruyne is down injured briefly. The Belgian took a knock to the head as he slipped on the wet turf and accidentally clashed with Luiz. Thankfully he looks to be OK.
6'
Villa look like they're in for a long game. Sterling bursts down the left again and crosses in for Jesus. Engels blocks the cross and it's another City corner. Fernandinho heads well wide from the corner.
3'
McGinn chips the corner to the edge of City's box as Villa opt to keep possession. It doesn't go perfectly as City storm up the other end and win a corner of their own. Villa see it off without much fuss.
2'
It's a scrappy start to the game as the two sides try to get a foothold in midfield. Villa, wearing their odd dark green and black third kit, win a corner down their left.
1'
And we're off!
Hello and welcome to our live text commentary of this Premier League match between Manchester City and Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium.
Man City's visitors today are Aston Villa, who've won their last two league matches. City haven't lost consecutive home games since the 2015-16 season, while Guardiola has never lost back-to-back home games in his entire managerial career. The champions are unlikely to be charitable again here.
MANCHESTER CITY (4-3-3): Ederson; Joao Cancelo, John Stones, Fernandinho, Benjamin Mendy; Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, David Silva (c); Bernardo Silva, Gabriel Jesus, Raheem Sterling.
SUBS: Riyad Mahrez, Sergio Agüero, Kyle Walker, Nicolas Otamendi, Claudio Bravo, Angelino, Phil Foden.
ASTON VILLA (4-1-4-1): Tom Heaton; Frederic Guilbert, Bjorn Engels, Tyrone Mings, Matt Targett; Marvelous Nakamba; Trezeguet, Douglas Luiz, John McGinn, Jack Grealish (c); Wesley.
SUBS: Henri Lansbury, Keinan Davis, Neil Taylor, Ezri Konsa Ngoyo, Conor Hourihane, Jed Steer, Anwar El Ghazi.
Man City crawled two points closer to Liverpool last week and look to have recovered from their shock defeat to Wolves here three weeks ago. Pep Guardiola's men remain six points behind the league leaders but can cut the gap to just three points with a win here, temporarily at least.
The two sides walk out onto the Etihad Stadium pitch on a typically rainy day in Manchester. There's a minute's applause to celebrate the life of former City chairman Eric Alexander, who recently passed away at the age of 86.
All eyes on that Liverpool game for City then, before they host sorry Southampton next week and Villa welcome the league leaders to Villa Park. On this evidence, don't put it past Villa doing the champions a favour. That's all for now. Goodbye!
City's win returns them to 2nd in the Premier League, three points of league leaders Liverpool who host Tottenham tomorrow. Villa drop ever so slightly to 14th. That's not a bad place to be for a promoted side 10 games into the season.
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