Aston Villa 2 – Manchester City 1
Aston Villa spoiled Pep Guardiola’s farewell party at Manchester City, coming from behind to claim a 2–1 win at the Etihad Stadium in the Spaniard’s final match in charge.
Having announced his departure last week, after Arsenal had secured the Premier League title, Guardiola would have hoped to bow out on a high, but the newly crowned UEFA Europa League winners denied him that ending.
Antoine Semenyo put City ahead in the 23rd minute with a smart finish, only for Ollie Watkins to turn the match around with a quickfire second‑half brace.
Leon Bailey struck the woodwork during a frantic closing spell, before Phil Foden saw a 90th‑minute equaliser ruled out for a marginal offside following a VAR review.
Villa end the 2025/26 season in fourth place, adding to their European triumph last Wednesday, while Guardiola concludes his Manchester City tenure as Premier League runner‑up.
How the Match Unfolded
City, in typical Guardiola fashion, dominated possession early and created the first real chance after 11 minutes when Savinho danced into the box and set up Tijjani Reijnders, whose tight‑angle effort rippled the side netting.
Semenyo opened the scoring shortly after, volleying coolly into the bottom corner after Andrés García inadvertently flicked a corner into his path.
City nearly doubled their lead before halftime, but Marco Bizot produced a stunning fingertip save to deny Reijnders’ powerful top‑corner strike.
Villa injected tension into the match immediately after the restart, with Watkins pouncing on a loose ball from Matty Cash’s swinging corner to level the score.
The visitors continued to disrupt City’s farewell script, and Watkins completed the turnaround in the 61st minute after latching onto Ross Barkley’s exquisite through‑ball. The goal was awarded after a VAR check.
Bailey struck the post as Villa pushed for a third, his effort crashing off the woodwork.
City thought they had rescued a dramatic late point when Foden controlled Mateo Kovačić’s pass and fired past Bizot, but celebrations were cut short as VAR ruled the goal out for a narrow offside.
