December 01, (THEWILL) –Â Bernardo Silva’s stunning goal helped Manchester City beat Aston Villa 2-1 and keep the pressure on leaders Chelsea.
Ruben Dias scored a one-of-a-kind goal for City in the 27th minute, with the Premier League Player of the Year, better known for his defending than his shooting, drilling a pile-driver into the net with a left-footed effort from the edge of the penalty area.
Silva then scored a stunning first-time volley from Gabriel Jesus’ cross two minutes before halftime to put City two goals up at the end of a counter-attacking move that will merit constant replays to enjoy.
Villa, on the other hand, were back in the game inside 90 seconds of the restart. Ollie Watkins was found at the near post by a superb corner by Douglas Luiz, and he rifled a wonderful shot beyond Ederson Moraes.
When VAR was required to check for a suspected foul on Ezri Konsa, the hosts thought they had a solid case for a penalty, but the decision did not go their way.
Then, Villa almost got their reward for a fantastic second-half performance when Emi Buendia released substitute Carney Chukwuemeka, but the 18-year-old could not get past the City keeper.
A Villa Park return for Jack Grealish was greeted with mixed reactions when he came on for the final five minutes. But, his was able to join his teammates hold on for a crucial three points in the title battle after leaders Chelsea and third-placed Liverpool both won.
City, who have now won four consecutive league games, are one point behind Chelsea and one ahead of Liverpool in the top three contending positions in the EPL this season.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
