Manchester City’s stunning slump deepened after losing to Aston Villa 2-1 in the Premier League
Goals from Jhon Duran and Morgan Rogers at Villa Park consigned the four-time defending champion to a ninth defeat in 12 games in a season that is unravelling. Pep Guardiola’s team has won just once during that run.
Aston Villa's Jhon Duran celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Aston Villa and Manchester City, at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)
“We don’t have a defense for the results. They are not good,” Guardiola said.
Third-placed Arsenal closed the gap on league leader Liverpool to three points with a 5-1 win at Crystal Palace, but has played two games more.
City dropped to sixth in the standings, nine points below Liverpool, and has played two games more.
“It’s about what I can do with my people to get the results back and continue,” Guardiola said. “If there is a moment that I cannot overthink, it is right now. Try to be simple, stick to my principles and give certainty to the team.”
Title hopes fading:
After winning six titles in seven years and an unprecedented four in a row, City’s remarkable fall shows little sign of stopping. Guardiola admitted last week he had not been good enough to turn his team’s form around.
City was without a win in any of its last eight away games in all competitions. While it looks unlikely to win a fifth straight title, a place in the top four and Champions League qualification could also be in jeopardy after fourth-placed Nottingham Forest won at Brentford 2-0 to move four points clear of City.
Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola, center, and players leave the field at the end of the English Premier League soccer match between Aston Villa and Manchester City, at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)
Only once under Guardiola has City managed to win the title when losing six times in the league. That was in 2021, when it lost two of its last three games, having already been confirmed as the champion.
City lost nine times when Liverpool won the title in 2020, but its sixth defeat didn’t come until February. Guardiola also lost six times in his first season in English soccer in 2016-17 and City finished third.
The latest defeat could have been even more emphatic from a dominant Villa, which moved up to fifth.
Duran scored his sixth goal in as many starts in the 16th minute from Rogers’ assist. Duran had a goal disallowed for offside in the second half and Rogers hit the post before doubling Villa’s lead in the 65th.
