Manchester City vs Aston Villa LIVE: Premier League result, final score and reaction
The 2023/24 Premier League season is under way and you can follow every game and every goal right here with The Independent.
This year sees Manchester City try to defend their crown and claim a historic fourth title in succession. Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering City, who also won the Champions League and FA Cup last season, will have to see off Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and the rest to claim an unprecedented sixth league title in seven years.
Meanwhile Luton Town are making their first appearance in the Premier League, having risen from non-league in an incredible decade of progress. They followed Championship winners Burnley and second-placed Sheffield United in earning promotion to the top flight.
Follow the latest action from the Premier League below.
Manchester City FC 4 - 1 Aston Villa FC
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
22:16
There we have it, it's full-time and Manchester City run out 4-1 victors against Aston Villa. In all honesty, the first half was pretty well matched as Rodri's excellently taken opener was cancelled out by Duran. But then the brilliant Foden took over. His first goal was a lovely free-kick, but Zaniolo will rue stupidly moving out of the wall to allow it to happen. After the break, though, it was the Foden show. The England man finished coolly from Rodri's lay-off then finished the hat-trick with a brilliant effort into the top-right corner - City's dominance reflected by an xG of 3.28 to Villa's 0.73. It was a win City needed after that Arsenal stalemate at the weekend, especially with the Gunners defeating Luton Town 2-0. The end result of the evening is that Arsenal are top of the table with 68 points, City are a point back in third and level with Liverpool, who face Sheffield United on Thursday.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
22:13
FULL-TIME: MANCHESTER CITY 4-1 ASTON VILLA
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
22:12
One final yellow card (you would assume) as Chambers completely wipes out Grealish...it wasn't particularly subtle.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
22:12
Off the post! Gvardiol does brilliant on the left, plays it across to Gomez, whose low effort hits the upright and goes out for a goal-kick. Not long left now...
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
22:09
Moreno wins a corner off Lewis just as four minutes of additional time is announced. Tielemans delivers from the left, Moreno made the run from deep but mishits his effort horribly.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
22:08
City fashion a couple of chances with Bobb mis-kicking a Grealish cut-back. Alvarez picks up the loose ball is again thwarted by Olsen.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
22:07
This has been an excellent game but as you'd expect it is sort of petering out a little bit now. City know the game is won, Villa know the game is lost, everyone is just waiting for the final blow of the referee's whistle now.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
22:05
The Man of the Match has been announced for tonight and it is, of course, awarded to Stefan Ortega...not really! It's gone to Phil Foden, who else could it have been really? What a performance!
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
22:01
This one has turned into little more than a training exercise now. Villa are chasing City shadows without much luck. The question is really can City add to their tally?
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
22:00
The raft of changes from both sides has, unsurprisingly, just dented the flow of the game a little bit. Villa will just want to get to the full-time whistle with no more damage here. Their game plan has come unstuck a little bit, the second half was been very one sided.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
21:58
Substitution Philip Walter Foden Oscar Bobb
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
21:58
Substitution Jérémy Baffour Doku Sergio Gómez Martín
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
21:58
That was a little interesting...Bailey plays Konsa in the area and the defender is checked by Nunes. He asks the question, England says no, and there's no VAR intervention. It would have been a little soft judging by the replays, but it wasn't the smartest play by the City substitute.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
21:55
It's the last change of the evening from Villa as Zaniolo is replaced by youngster Kellyman.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
21:53
Ooft close again! Grealish flashes a low ball across the face of goal from the left. Thankfully for Villa there was no City player in sight.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
21:53
Substitution Bernardo Mota Veiga de Carvalho e Silva Mateo KovaÄiÄ
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
21:52
Substitution Rodrigo Hernández Cascante Matheus Luiz Nunes
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
21:52
Foden has been an utter joy to watch this evening. It's not just the goals (though, obviously, that has helped), it's the presence of mind, the way he glides down the pitch, the perfect weight of pass. He has utterly destroyed Villa here.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
21:49
Substitution Jhon Jader Durán Palacio Alexandre Moreno Lopera
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
21:47
Goal Philip Walter Foden
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
21:46
Manchester City have won 27 of their last 29 Premier League games played on a Wednesday (D1 L1), with their sole defeat in that run coming against Aston Villa in the reverse fixture. At home, they’ve won their last 19 Wednesday league games, and are unbeaten in 30 (W26 D4) since a 1-0 loss to Tottenham in May 2010.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
21:44
Oh that's a big chance for Lewis! It's excellent work from Foden again and the full-back drags wide of the left post with the goal gaping. That would have been the final nail in the coffin.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
21:41
Substitution Douglas Luiz Soares de Paulo Calum Chambers
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
21:41
Substitution Moussa Diaby Leon Patrick Bailey Butler
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
21:41
Substitution Timothy Emeka Iroegbunam Youri Marion A. Tielemans
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
21:40
Assist Rodrigo Hernández Cascante
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
21:39
Foden slaloms through the middle of the Villa defence, he's so good to watch in full flow, before being bodychecked by Carlos. Nothing doing in terms of a penalty shout for that one.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
21:39
Goal Philip Walter Foden
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
21:37
De Bruyne, Stones and Haaland have all been sent out to warm up by Guardiola and the Etihad responds with a warm round of applause. It might not be long before Guardiola sends on some big hitters here.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
21:36
Oh what a counter from Villa! Zaniolo sets Luiz free, he plays a neat interchange with Diaby before launching a shot at goal that Ortega does brilliantly to tip over. From the resulting corner from Luiz Lenglet flicks a header goalwards that Ortega does excellently to save. Two big moments for Villa there.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
21:32
Doku has been a very lively presence for City on the right-hand side, he shows quick feet to fire a left-foot shot at goal but once again Olsen is well behind it and gathers well.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
21:30
Rodri goes to ground in the penalty area as Konsa steps on his foot but it's quickly waved away by England.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
21:29
It was completely nonsensical when Roy Keane described Haaland's all-round play as League Two level...but when he's not in the team City do look a little slicker it's fair to say. But what he brings to the team you can't imagine he'll be sat on the bench long term.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
21:28
Doku has an opportunity on the right-hand side here and his shot forces Olsen into the save. Not long after, Foden brilliantly slips in Silva who, one-on-one is thwarted again by Olsen with his chest.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
21:24
Darren England blows on his whistle again and we are back underway!
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
21:12
The xG stats pretty much sum up that City deserve the lead, the hosts' 1.49 is significantly better than Villa's 0.29. The away side had a decent game plan that went a little awry as the half came to an end, they now need to find a response again in this one.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
21:09
That was an excellent half of Barclay's wasn't it? City came out of the blocks well and got their reward through Rodri's excellent finish but Villa had a riposte from Duran. City then huffed and puffed for a while but it wasn't until the stroke of half-time that Foden blew down the door, with Zaniolo's decision to break from the wall proving costly. It's probably a fair lead for City and, with Arsenal leading Luton Town 2-0, it's one they could really do with keeping hold of.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
21:08
HALF-TIME: MANCHESTER 2-1 ASTON VILLA
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
21:07
Oh my days that is a chance for City! It's brilliantly held up from the left-hand side and Alvarez is at point-blank range but his header is tipped over by Olsen, that was nearly 3-1.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
21:06
Silva now gets in down the left and a low cross is cleared. The offside flag goes up anyway but Villa just need to keep their heads until half-time here, as Digne blocks an Alvarez shot not long after.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
21:02
The City fans bay for blood here as Luiz fouls Foden around 25 yards from goal. The referee errs on the side of caution, rightly.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
21:02
Goal Philip Walter Foden
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
21:00
Duran goes down clutching his head after a tussle with Dias...didn't look much in that one but the referee had to stop with it being a head injury.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
20:59
Alvarez gets another opportunity after nice work from Doku on the right but this time the forward can't even hit the target. You do wonder when Guardiola might turn to Haaland in the second half.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
20:56
Hmmm...the resulting free-kick from that Luiz foul is taken from Alvarez. It's probably fair to assume he's taken better set-pieces as he puts this one comfortably over the crossbar from a promising position.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
20:54
Ooooh that was the chance City have been looking for! It's great football from City as Lewis finds Alvarez on the right of the area, the Argentina ace is one one-on-one with Olsen but he can only shoot straight at the Swedish goalkeeper.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
20:54
Yellow Card Douglas Luiz Soares de Paulo
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
20:54
Oh hello Stefan Ortega! Gvardiol nods a header back to his goalkeeper, who has Duran charging at him, but the German just coolly steps past his opponent. Always love that sort of coolness from a goalie (although it's even better when it leads to the blooper admittedly...).
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
20:51
Grealish hasn't looked too fazed by that yellow, he's still looking City's best threat down the left-hand side. It's just proving a bit tricky to force the clear opening for the hosts at the minute.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
20:47
Yellow Card Jack Peter Grealish
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
20:47
Zaniolo, who's been handed a rare start, has been very bright for Villa. The away side are not shy about committing bodies to the cause when they do get the chance to attack, but they've had to pick their moments so far.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
20:46
Gvardiol holds up a cross from the left towards Doku but Zaniolo does very well to shepherd it back to Olsen. There were some tame handball shouts from the stands but one City player looked interested in joining in the protests as the ball clearly came off the Italy international's chest.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
20:43
City are still looking to press the issue but Villa are nice and compact and dealing with what's being thrown at them. You get the feeling they will continue to be a real threat on the break, too.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
20:42
That was nearly excellent from Grealish! It looked as though a Doku from delivery was well overhit but, on the opposite flank, his team-mate volleys a well-executed effort into the ground that has Olsen panicked. The goalkeeper might have even got a touch, it was really hard to tell, but a goal-kick is given.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
20:39
That's probably the first time Villa have really troubled City at all but all of a sudden we have a game on our hands again here...
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
20:36
Assist Morgan Elliot Rogers
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
20:35
Doku does well on the right and sees a left-foot shot deflected and eventually collected by Olsen. Grealish and Doku have looked very in the mood so far this evening and the home side are looking pretty slick.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
20:35
Goal Jhon Jader Durán Palacio
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
20:34
One remarkable stat is that City are yet to beat any of the teams in the top five in the Premier League so far this season. For a team this good you really wouldn't expect that would you? They're looking good value to do something about that tonight, mind.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
20:32
Ooft, it's offside but that was a bit better from Villa. Luiz lofted an excellent ball into the area, Duran watched it over his shoulder and volleyed on the stretch to force Ortega into the save. The flag was raised but encouragement there for the away side.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
20:30
Right then, what do Villa have in terms of a riposte? A Digne long throw causes the briefest moment of panic, but they'll need to do more to cause City trouble.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
20:28
Goal Rodrigo Hernández Cascante
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
20:26
Grealish is getting relentlessly booed from the visiting fans (seems a strange one given he earned the club around £100million but there we go...) but he is looking a proper threat in these exchanges. He finds Rodri, who takes a left-foot effort from 20 yards but it wasn't a clean strike and Olsen gathers easily.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
20:24
There was a bit of concern for Villa as Duran went down. With Watkins already out they really don't want to lose their back-up striker as well. But he gets up in the end.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
20:22
Grealish has looked dangerous on a couple of occasions already as City look to take a foothold in the early goings here.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
20:20
Ooooft close for City! The boos ring out from the away end as former Villa favourite Grealish picks up the ball on the left. The England forward drives forward, clips a ball into Alvarez, who fires into the side-netting on the half-volley. An early sighter from the hosts.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
20:18
Zaniolo earns his side a very early corner that Luiz, captain for Villa this evening, goes over to take but City deal with it with ease.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
20:18
Darren England blows on his whistle and we are underway at the Etihad!
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
19:55
HUGE update for Aston Villa, who are forced into a late change. Goalkeeper Martinez is out with illness, meaning Olsen deputises in goal for the World Cup winner.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
19:55
The headline news for City is that Haaland and De Bruyne drop to the bench with Kovavic, while Ake is out injured. Grealish, Doku, Alvarez and Lewis all come in as Guardiola makes four changes. Emery swaps out five including the injured Ollie Watkins (hamstring). Torres, Moreno, Tielemans and Bailey also drop out as Digne, Lenglet, Zaniolo, Duran and Iroegbunam come in.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
19:50
ASTON VILLA SUBS: Robin Olsen, Youri Tielemans, Paul Torres, Alex Moreno, Calum Chambers, Joe Gauci, Kaine Kesler-Hayden, Leon Bailey, Omari Kellyman
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
19:45
MANCHESTER CITY SUBS: Scott Carson, John Stones, Mateo Kovacic, Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne, Sergio Gomesz, Matheus Nunes, Oscar Bobb, Mahamadou Susoho
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
19:45
ASTON VILLA (4-4-2) Emiliano Martínez; Ezri Konsa, Diego Carlos, Clement Lenglet, Lucas Digne; Nicolo Zaniolo, Tim Iroegbunam, Douglas Luiz, Morgan Rogers; Jhon Duran, Moussa Diaby
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
19:45
MANCHESTER CITY (4-2-3-1) - Stefan Ortega; Rico Lewis, Rúben Dias, Manuel Akanji, Josko Gvardiol; Rodri, Bernardo Silva; Jeremy Doku, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish; Julian Alvarez
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
19:45
Villa managed to upset the odds to defeat Pep Guardiola's men in the reverse fixture back on December 6 with Leon Bailey's effort securing a 1-0 win. At the time, it looks as though Unai Emery's side were gearing for an unlikely tilt at the title themselves but their ambitions now are more focused on securing fourth spot and guaranteeing a spot in next season's Champions League.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
19:45
A goalless draw with title rivals Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday left City three points adrift of Premier League leaders Liverpool in third with only nine games left to play in what is shaping up as a thrilling tussle for first place. Having drawn with the Reds in their previous fixture before the Arsenal stalemate, City will be keen to get back to winning ways here tonight.
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
19:45
Hello and welcome to our LIVE coverage of this Premier League fixture between Manchester City and Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium!
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
19:15
Follow all the goals and latest action from the Premier League here with The Independent. Team news and line-ups coming up shortly…
