Goals from Jhon Duran and Morgan Rogers gave Aston Villa a deserved 2-1 victory at Villa Park on Saturday to heap more misery on Manchester City.
The defeat means it is now one just win in 12 games for Pep Guardiola's defending champions, who grabbed a late consolation goal from Phil Foden.
The loss was City's sixth in the Premier League this season and saw them slip to sixth place in the table, nine points behind leaders Liverpool, with Unai Emery's Villa going above them into fifth spot.
Guardiola made six changes from the derby defeat against Manchester United last week but the reshuffle made no difference to the result.
Villa themselves were coming off a poor run that had seen them win just three of their past 11 games in the Premier League.
But they flew out of the blocks in a thrilling start to the game, almost going ahead after just 20 seconds as Duran forced a sharp save from City keeper Stefan Ortega after a poor pass from defender Josko Gvardiol.
Pau Torres then had a great headed chance from a corner, which produced another fine reflex save from Ortega.
Gvardiol was guilty of sloppiness once again as John McGinn nicked the ball from him to set up Duran, with Ortega pulling off another good stop.
Villa finally went ahead in the 17th minute when a superb Youri Tielemans pass found Rogers, who unselfishly teed up Jhon Duran to prod the ball past Ortega.
The 21-year-old Duran was Villa’s super-sub but he now has six goals in six starts in all competitions this season. This was a fourth strike in four successive games for the Colombian.
Five minutes after the break, Duran thought he had put Villa two-nil up when he was set free by another lovely Tielemans pass before lashing the ball into the net before being flagged narrowly offside.
Just before the hour, Rogers shaved the outside of the City post after an intricate passing move involving Lucas Digne and Duran at the edge of the box.
But Rogers made amends for that miss with a smart finish after a great surge from midfield before being set up by a clever slipped pass from Tielemans.
Substitute Ollie Watkins had a good chance to make it 3-0 as the City defence was once again sliced open by a brilliant pass from Rogers but the England striker fired straight at Ortega.
Foden gave City some hope with a poacher's goal in stoppage time after a mistake by Digne but it wasn't enough to rescue his side from yet another damaging defeat.
After the game, Villa goalscorer Rogers told TNT Sports: “We knew it was going to be difficult. We knew they were going to come firing, they wanted to win the game and we knew we had to be at it.
“Results haven't gone our way in the last few weeks so we knew we needed a reaction, the same way as they did and we knew if we stuck to the game plan and showed our quality, we'd cause them problems and we did that.
"To a man, I thought we were outstanding so we deserved the win."
City striker Erling Haaland said: “Of course, we are disappointed, it's not good enough. It's not good enough from me.
“We have to continue. First I'm looking at myself, I haven't been doing things good enough, I haven't been scoring my chances. I have to do better, I haven't been good enough.
“[Villa have] good players, it's difficult to come here but we're Man City we should be out there. We have to continue, we have to believe and we have to keep working hard.
“We know how important confidence is and you can see that it affects every human being. That is how it is, we have to continue and stay positive even though it is difficult.”
On Guardiola, he said: “He won the Premier League six times in seven years, so we will never forget that. He will find the solutions. He has been doing that every single year. We still believe in him, we have to work harder than ever right now.”
Guardiola said: “We make a really good first half, second half we dropped. We changed our pressing for the reason John [Stones] could not continue. Congratulations Aston Villa and keep going.”
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 194hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 275Nm from 2,000-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: from Dh155,000
On sale: now
Tips from the expert
Dobromir Radichkov, chief data officer at dubizzle and Bayut, offers a few tips for UAE residents looking to earn some cash from pre-loved items.
- Sellers should focus on providing high-quality used goods at attractive prices to buyers.
- It’s important to use clear and appealing photos, with catchy titles and detailed descriptions to capture the attention of prospective buyers.
- Try to advertise a realistic price to attract buyers looking for good deals, especially in the current environment where consumers are significantly more price-sensitive.
- Be creative and look around your home for valuable items that you no longer need but might be useful to others.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
if you go
The flights
Air Astana flies direct from Dubai to Almaty from Dh2,440 per person return, and to Astana (via Almaty) from Dh2,930 return, both including taxes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Almaty cost from Dh1,944 per night including taxes; and in Astana the new Ritz-Carlton Astana (www.marriott) costs from Dh1,325; alternatively, the new St Regis Astana costs from Dh1,458 per night including taxes.
When to visit
March-May and September-November
Visas
Citizens of many countries, including the UAE do not need a visa to enter Kazakhstan for up to 30 days. Contact the nearest Kazakhstan embassy or consulate.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
If you go...
Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.
Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50
