Aston Villa 0 Manchester City 1:Manchester City's hopes of retaining the Premier League title may look increasingly forlorn but this narrow victory over Aston Villa, courtesy of Carlos Tevez's 12th goal of the season, just about keeps Manchester United in view and leaves their midlands opponents deep in relegation trouble.
Restored to the starting lineup in place of Sergio Aguero, who picked up a knee injury in training that is likely to keep him out of the FA Cup quarter-final against Barnsley on Saturday, Tevez converted at the end of the first half after Ciaran Clark, the young Villa captain, tried to execute a turn in an area of the pitch where most defenders would have played safe.
Brad Guzan, who had made a wonderful save to repel Tevez’s curling shot a few minutes earlier, was left hopelessly exposed as the Argentinian tucked the ball home.
Villa never surrendered but it was difficult to see them scoring on a night when Joe Hart was rarely called into action. Bigger tests lie ahead for Villa.
They travel to Reading, who are one place below them, on Saturday and host Queens Park Rangers, the Premier League’s bottom club, the following week.
For City, who have closed the gap on United to 12 points, there is merely a glimmer of hope that their neighbours can be reeled in.
Into context
To put the challenge Villa faced here into context, their five previous Premier League matches this season against the current top four had all ended in defeat and culminated in 22 goals being conceded. If that statistic made for grim reading beforehand, Villa showed few signs that they were suffering from an inferiority complex during a bright opening in which Christian Benteke came close to putting them ahead with a towering header from Charles N’Zogbia’s corner that Tevez, of all people, cleared off the line.
Slow to get into their stride and forced to reshuffle after Jack Rodwell’s fourth start of the season ended in yet another injury, City eventually began to turn the screw. They dominated the final 15 minutes of the first half, although Villa thought they had weathered the storm until Clark made a costly mistake that was ruthlessly punished.
Receiving a throw-in from Matthew Lowton about 20 yards inside his own half in first-half stoppage time, Clark tried to turn with the ball but lost his footing and slipped, allowing Edin Dzeko, Rodwell’s replacement, to pick the central defender’s pocket and carry the ball towards the penalty area.
Corner of the net
Dzeko unselfishly rolled the ball into the path of Tevez, who came inside onto his left foot, leaving Nathan Baker and Brad Guzan sat on their backsides, before planting the ball into the corner of the net.
It was a poor goal for Villa to concede but one that had felt as though it was coming as City began to play with more fluency in the moments prior to the interval.
Pablo Zabaleta, who has arguably been City’s best player this season, had come close to putting the visitors ahead in the 37th minute when he linked neatly with Yaya Toure and David Silva on the right-hand side. Darting into the area, Zabaleta curled a left-footed shot that Guzan superbly tipped onto the upright.
Moments later Villa were caught napping when James Milner had the time and space to pick his spot after working a short corner routine with Silva, only for the England international to blaze over.
Not for the first time in the evening Roberto Mancini was a picture of frustration on the touchline. The City manager should have been celebrating a second goal early in the second half. Yaya Toure drilled a left-footed shot from the edge of the penalty area that cannoned off the post. Dzeko turned in the rebound but the assistant referee’s raised flag cut short his celebrations. City though, had their well-deserved victory.
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