Call it the spirits of the champions, call it a tribute to Sergio Aguero or call it simply a tale from the Premier League folklore, Manchester City proved once again why they are the best in England at the moment despite being knocked out of the Champions League ahead of Liverpool.
It was counter-attacking football at its zenith that saw the Cityzens stage a strong counterblast in the second half to seal the fate of the tie after trailing in the opening half, opening the portal for a Premier League triumph to their closest contenders, Liverpool.
After a listless passage of play that witnessed both the teams observing a safety-first approach it was Villa would hammer the impasse in clinical fashion as Matty Cash would net his perfectly-glanced header after Lucas Digne flipped in a delectable cross begging to be finished.
It was the resumption of the game after the breather that would push the needle in Manchester City’s attacking enterprises as the Blues would start firing on all cylinders, eyeing the title. In the midst of City’s searing heat, Villa would conjure the audacity of pushing further men forward hoping to seal the fate of the game. Watsen had a golden opportunity as he would catch Ederson one-on-one only to smash right at his chest.
Just when City was prepping to up their ante, it was Phillip Coutinho as the Brazilian would steer past Laporte and would peg home a perfect finish to send the Villa fans into dreamland. However, champions do not give up and it was Ilkay Gundogan who would halve the deficit with a thumping header from Sterling’s peach of an assist.
Two minutes later and world order was restored as Rodri would find himself at the receiving end of a clinical ball from Zinchenko and would react with lightning-fast reflexes to sidefoot a brilliant equalizer, blowing life into one of the most important games of the ongoing Premier League.
Three minutes from the equalizer, City sealed the fate of the game and the fire from Klopp’s men was absolutely devastating that consumed Villa mercilessly with the latter left in utter dilapidation. There was absolutely no coming back for Gerard and his geezers as the damage was done and City was in no mood to allow Villa a comeback. Ten minutes more and the much-anticipated whistle would finally put an end to the exciting encounter that would leave Etihad in an explosion. Football, after all, is a game that would not let you leave your seat until the final whistle has been blown.
