Aston Villa shock Man City to hand Arsenal Premier League title boost

Premier League champions Manchester City were outfoxed and outplayed by Aston Villa, putting their title defence hopes on the line.

The Cityzens went away to Villa Park after the disappointing draw against Tottenham over the weekend as they looked to get back to winning ways. The Villains, led by Unai Emery, had a brutal game strategy, however, and played it to perfection as they handed City their third loss of the season.

Pep Guardiola was compelled to name a heavily rotated side for the trip to Birmingham, as Rodri and Jack Grealish were suspended and Jeremy Doku had a knock.

The absence of the regular starters was evident in Manchester City's play, as they were put through the wringer for most of the proceedings.

The visitors only managed two shooting attempts, and in continuation of the trend of questionable defending from Pep Guardiola's side, the Premier League champions allowed 22 shots.

Villa dominated for swathes of the match but were unlucky in the final third as the ball refused to go in. However, their fortunes changed in the 74th minute when Bailey's shot was deflected in after an impressive solo run.

The win meant Aston Villa leapfrogged their opposition on the log, pushing Manchester City down to fourth as they occupied the third spot.