When City won the Premier League title in this very game back in May 2022, they got off to a nightmare start and found themselves 2-0 down in the season’s dying minutes.
Clearly in no mood to repeat that Houdini escape act, City started fast, and there wasn’t even five minutes on the clock when Rodri headed home Riyad Marhez’s corner, as City looked to put their off-field troubles behind them for 90 minutes.
City thought they’d doubled their advantage shortly after, but as Erling Haaland and Emiliano Martínez collided in a 50/50 and İlkay Gündoğan swept home the pieces, the Norwegian striker was adjudged to have fouled the Villa keeper.
It was only a temporary reprieve for Villa though, with the returning Calum Chambers inadvertently heading beyond his own goalkeeper several minutes later.
Despite the defender recovering somewhat from that mistake, Haaland was first to the errant ball, which he laid on a plate for Gündoğan to convert at last.
The game was then over as a contest shortly before the break, when Jacob Ramsey’s clumsy challenge in the area on Jack Grealish allowed Mahrez to confidently fire home City’s third of the afternoon from the penalty spot.
City’s complacency came back to bite them though, as Bernardo Silva lost possession in midfield and one incisive Douglas Luiz pass freed Ollie Watkins, who made no mistake in firing past Ederson to score in a third successive PL game for the first time in his career.
It was always going to be difficult for Villa to claw back the two goals they trailed by, but they made a good fist of it, with a trademark Philippe Coutinho curling effort forcing Ederson to make a fine stop to ensure a nervy ending didn’t ensue at the Etihad Stadium.
Mahrez could have added the icing on the cake for City, had his late strike from six yards not gone into orbit, but it was immaterial in the grand scheme of things, with Pep Guardiola surely a happier man today with three points and a smaller commute home after his travelling jibe last week.
As for Villa, they could still have a say in the title race, with Arsenal next up for them as they seek to solidify their spot in mid-table.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)
