Man City boss Maresca rues costly errors as Villa inflicts first league defeat

Aston Villa’s Nicolas Jackson battles Manchester City’s Marc Guehi for the ball during the Premier League match at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, on Saturday. | Photo Credit: AP

Manchester City’s flawless start to the Premier League season ended at Villa Park on Saturday, where two expensive errors handed Enzo Maresca’s side a 2-1 defeat even though it controlled long periods of the game.

City had won all seven of its league games before travelling to Birmingham, but two defensive lapses gave Aston Villa openings, and the host punished both.

An early miscontrol from Marc Guehi let John McGinn set up Nicolas Jackson for the opener. After the hour mark, goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma let Jackson’s low shot slip beneath him.

The defeat was especially difficult given how the game unfolded. City had seven shots on target to Villa’s two and kept testing Zion Suzuki, but the Japan goalkeeper made a series of fine saves to protect the home side’s lead.

Maresca was left to rue his team’s wastefulness and the two avoidable goals that settled the match.

“Performance overall was good, amount of chances we created., he said. “Absolutely, both (goals were avoidable). Sometimes you have to be ‌a bit more lucky because we only conceded those two chances. But we created a lot of chances.

“We played most of the game in their box but you have to be clinical and avoid mistakes like the two goals we conceded.”

For Villa, which had a turbulent summer of arrivals and departures, there were at last signs that Unai Emery’s rebuilt side is starting to settle after a poor start to the league season, with three defeats in their first four games.

ALSO READ: Liverpool must go full throttle against Brighton despite injury issues, says Iraola

“Today was a really good test, I was so excited for this test,” Emery said. “Today is one step ⁠forward.”

City has little time to dwell on the loss, as it faces in-form Brighton & Hove Albion twice in quick succession, first in the League Cup fourth round on Wednesday and then in the Premier League next Saturday.

“A top team, another one,” City defender Ruben Dias said. “A different way to play so we’ll make the adaptation then focus on ​ourselves that’s the main thing - our spirit, our will to win.”