Phil Haran writes in about the Stones red: “What a ridiculous decision to send Stones off. He was clearly going for the ball and he barely caught the player. Whatever happened to intent? It is purely contact that defines the card. I am generally a fan of VAR but that brought it into disrepute.”
It’s certainly fair to say Stones was trying to get the ball and Ramsey was just too quick, I think ...
Well, well. Villa led within 20 seconds through McGinn before City turned it right around, deservedly I’d say, thanks to Foden and Rodri. Then the visitors had Stones sent off. It will all make for a fascinating second half.
45+1 min: City are getting Laporte ready to come on, but I think they’ll try and hold on during the four minutes of added time for now. In the protests after the red card, it seemed Gundogan was booked for laying a hand on Bankes – further controversy.
Stones is sent off for his high, dangerous lunge on Ramsey! City go ahead one moment and down to 10 the next. Guardiola is remonstrating furiously but it’ll cut no ice.
43 min: Peter Bankes goes to view on his screen. Ramsey nicked the ball past Stones near halfway soon after Villa restarted, and Stones seemed to stud his knee.
42 min: All well and good for City but Stones could be sent off here, he makes a high and late challenge on Ramsey and VAR is involved ...
The corner is half-cleared, but City keep the ball and find Bernardo Silva to the right of the area. He tricks inside and crosses on his left foot; Martinez, in a rare mistake, commits himself unwisely and Rodri rises in front of him, flicking a header into the unguarded net!
39 min: Foden, wow. He takes a high Walker pass out of the sky while facing the byline, then somehow pirouettes and works the ball past Cash. He’s insanely good. A corner results and then ...
38 min: After a long, drawn-out buildup Mahrez whips his free-kick towards goal, but it deflects behind off the wall. Foden’s corner does not beat the first man.
37 min: Zinchenko intercepts a loose pass from Douglas Luiz, drives towards the box and is clipped by Ramsey as he shoots. It’s a free-kick just outside the area to City ...
34 min: City over-elaborate with a short corner and are caught offside. Villa have been good defensively despite conceding once.
32 min: That spell ended with Martinez bravely claiming a teasing Mahrez ball. This isn’t peak City but they are very dominant. Villa will accept going in level, I’m sure.
31 min: City camp out near the edge of Villa’s box, but find themselves held at arm’s length. Not that it’s cost them possession of the ball.
28 min: They show again now though and it’s a fair effort from Ramsey, who shoots high into the side netting. Watkins wanted the ball squared.
27 min: Mings makes a perfectly timed challenge on Silva, who wanted a penalty. Villa won’t hold on for a draw if they continue like this, they’ve vanished as an attacking force.
24 min: My word, that would have been a stunning goal from Foden, who just gets better and better and better. He dances around three men in the tightest area but then can’t hit the target, firing over. He’ll have to settle for one at the moment.
It was probably coming. Bernardo Silva overlaps down the right and collects Mahrez’s slipped pass. He cuts back and Foden, having made an intelligent run inside, finishes confidently from close in.
20 min: Cash diverts a wayward Walker shot behind, more than a touch unnecessarily but he needed a shout from someone. Mahrez collects the corner and forces a very smart save from Martinez with a sharp low, near-post drive. City’s best moment so far.
18 min: Mings get his head on a whipped Gundogan shot that would have bothered Martinez, who had begun to dive.
17 min: Villa’s shape is good but they won’t want this turning into attack vs defence, which this has recently become even if City are hardly prising them open.
15 min: Foden outswings City’s second corner but Villa defend it comfortably. But City come again and Mahrez, who is increasingly involved, has a cross-shot deflected behind. They’re just starting to see rather a lot of the ball. Rodri gets up to win a header from the latest flag kick but an elaborate attempt from Dias to backheel Stones into a scoring position fails.
13 min: Do we think teams are going to find that extra yard motivation when facing one of the wannabe defectors now? I know none of what’s happened is the players’ fault – but their opponents may still want to prove a point or two.
10 min: A first City corner, won by Foden, who has looked purposeful so far. It is taken short to him and he jinks to the byline, but Mings is there to plant his head on the cross.
9 min: McGinn gives the ball away to Jesus in a dangerous area but Mahrez, the ball’s next recipient, is ushered away from goal.
7 min: Now Traore’s shot is blocked by Dias. Villa are playing like European champions!
5 min: Rodri tries to float a ball for Gundogan but Martinez, possibly the best goalkeeper in the league, gathers. Villa will be absolutely delighted so far, and have a chance to make it two when Walker blocks from Douglas Luiz after scrappy defending.
3 min: That was, erm, quite something. From the game’s first and so far only action, Villa lead. Get them a Super League!
Mings take a long, quick free-kick down the inside left channel and Stones misjudges it, meaning Watkins is away. He centres and McGinn, on the run, sweeps in his first goal since the thrashing of Liverpool. A quite stunning start!
City get us going here.
The players are on the pitch at Villa Park! We shortly have a game.
Guardiola says he spoke yesterday about the Super League and doesn’t want to add much. He wants to focus on football.
“Aston Villa, historical European giants, take on Champions League newbies Manchester City. Shouldn’t Villa be playing Real Madrid rather than these pretenders?” writes Stephen Ashworth.
I think you raise a very sound point ...
Seth’s been /fully/ vaccinated! (@seth410)
@NickAmes82 Nick. As an American Villa fan for only seven years how does the reaction to the ESL compare to the PL’s breakaway in the 20th century?
April 21, 2021
I was only eight or nine when it happened so memory is fuzzy – I do remember a degree of uproar, and it was definitely massive news. Nothing like this though, partly because of social media perhaps but mainly because the Super League crossed a crucial, sacred line between what competition is and isn’t.
How will City react to losing their hopes of the quadruple? That’s a big question here. And how will their players respond to 48 hours that were, let’s have it right, pretty stressful? Villa, still without Jack Grealish but otherwise strong, will be looking to sniff out any signs of weakness and even offer Man United the faintest slither of hope that they may chase City down.
You can also find a thriller between Man City and Chelsea in the Women’s Super League – that is in Simon Burnton’s expert hands:
Please do send your emails in. I’ll even take Super League-related questions if you want. Otherwise – keep your weather eye on the end of Spurs-Saints (currently a VAR-addled 1-1) with the peerless Scott Murray:
Have some Super League fallout chat courtesy of Ed Aarons:
Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Mings, Targett, Nakamba, Douglas Luiz, Ramsey, McGinn, Traore, Watkins. Subs: Heaton, Hause, Taylor, Engels, El Ghazi, Barkley, Chukwuemeka, Elmohamady, Davis.
Man City: Ederson, Walker, Dias, Stones, Zinchenko, Gündogan, Rodrigo, Bernardo, Mahrez, Foden, Jesus. Subs: Steffen, Ake, Sterling, Laporte, Torres, Mendy, Fernandinho, Cancelo, Garcia.
Don’t know about you but I’m ... fairly tired after the past 72 hours. What we need is some Actual Football to perk us up and it’s coming from Villa Park, where Manchester City will have to content themselves with a midweek Premier League match against Aston Villa rather than a shareable content fest against Barca or Juventus. Good luck getting the TikTok masses into Matt Targett ...
But look, everyone is friends again now aren’t they, so let’s be nice. A win for City puts them ever closer to wrapping up the title; Villa, playing their first game for 11 days, will leapfrog Arsenal and Leeds into ninth with a win and would consider themselves back on the fringes of the European conversation – no, not that one!
So we will have fun. Join me for team news and more buildup shortly!
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