In a significant Premier League clash at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester City secured a 4-1 victory over Aston Villa at 8:15pm BST. Ahead of the match, Manchester City's manager, Pep Guardiola, made the notable decision to leave star players Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne on the bench, a move that came just days after Roy Keane's controversial 'League Two' jibe. This decision was later explained by Guardiola, though specific reasons were not provided in the tweets. Phil Foden was highlighted for his performance. Aston Villa, chasing a spot in the Champions League, had made six changes to their lineup, with manager Unai Emery stating the adjustments were aimed at keeping players confident and getting practice ahead of a busy schedule. Emery also mentioned that Emiliano Martinez might be available for the next game, while Ollie Watkins' condition would be assessed.
Unai Emery thinks Emiliano Martinez will be available for Saturday. Ollie Watkins will be checked tomorrow to see if he's ready to also play. #AVFC
Asked Emery about the six changes: "We have to keep players confident and practising. We will have a lot of games in the coming weeks. We were preparing to win, but we were thinking about getting practice with some players." #AVFC
Guardiola explains why he dropped Haaland and De Bruyne vs Aston Villa https://t.co/fuLqIW5Bnm
Manchester City 4 - 1 Aston Villa - analysed: ◾️#AVFC's stand-in players impressive in first half ◾️Phil. Foden. ◾️Emery planning for Brentford in the second half W/@SamLee on @TheAthleticFC https://t.co/sPWwoKCnhu
Pep Guardiola has revealed why Erling Haaland was dropped to the bench for Man City's clash with Aston Villa 🗣️ https://t.co/zfszYmhZLM https://t.co/qHYlP8B9rf
Guardiola explains why Haaland and De Bruyne were dropped vs Aston Villa https://t.co/qrdEWB5AQb
Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne have been left out by Pep Guardiola for Manchester City's Premier League meeting with Aston Villa. #MCFC | #AVFC https://t.co/Qhc2jSZJQH
🚨📢 #MCFC TEAM NEWS Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne both named on the bench by Pep Guardiola against Champions League-chasing Aston Villa 🤯 #MCIAVL #PremierLeague https://t.co/wYMHOJL1AQ
Both Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne start on the bench for @ManCity against @AVFCOfficial! 🔵 #MCIAVL https://t.co/7KXEkG6tkm
Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne DROPPED to bench for huge Man City clash days after Roy Keane’s ‘League Two’ jibe https://t.co/qM0drgEjzk https://t.co/i2Lt2deypg
Manchester City 🆚 Aston Villa ⏱ 8:15pm BST 📍 Etihad Stadium No Haaland, De Bruyne or Watkins? Team news is on the way. LIVE: https://t.co/JQqhSIwdWr #MCIAVL