Aston Villa may have been unable to halt Erling Haaland but Steven Gerrard’s side prevented the striker from running riot and Manchester City taking victory. Stopping Haaland was a daunting prospect in itself but given the way City eviscerated Nottingham Forest in midweek this was an impressive point for Villa, who levelled through Leon Bailey’s wonderful first-time finish. When Haaland struck his 10th goal in six games early in the second half it seemed City would deepen the misery on Gerrard but Villa roused to claim a point and in the end it was Pep Guardiola, the sleeves on his white shirt rolled up, who was left tutting on the touchline in frustration.
Riyad Mahrez somehow shot wide with two minutes to spare, moments after Rodri saw a shot whistle narrowly past a post. But Villa will argue they were denied a winner when the substitute Philippe Coutinho sent a shot crashing in off the crossbar, after the referee Simon Hooper had already blown his whistle because the assistant referee Adrian Holmes raised his flag for offside. Many of City’s players had stopped by the time the ball flew in past Ederson.
