Manchester City 2-1 Aston Villa result - Last-gasp Nunes winner sends City third in Premier League as race for Champions League qualification hots up

Matheus Nunes scored his first Premier League goal for Manchester City deep in stoppage time to earn Manchester City a last-gasp 2-1 win over Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium.

The result sends Pep Guardiola’s side third in the Premier League, giving them the edge in the battle to finish in the top five, with beaten Villa now two points off the pace with four matches remaining and the three teams above them having a game in hand.

In a fiesty encounter, it was Villa who could have opened the scoring inside just 20 seconds when Marcus Rashford hit the post after turning Ruben Diaz inside out on the edge of the box.

Yet it was City who took an early lead on seven minutes, with Bernardo Silva slamming a shot through the gloves of Emiliano Martinez after terrific work by Omar Marmoush to cut the ball back in the box.

Villa hit back from the spot after VAR intervened to rule Ruben Dias had caught Jacob Ramsey in the box – a decision that prompted passionate protests from the City players and saw Pep Guardiola booked for his complaints. But the referee agreed with his video assistants and Rashford converted from the spot to level the match in the 18th minute.

And, despite near-constant City pressure for much of the remainder of the game, it looked like that penalty would be enough to earn Villa an important point in their battle to qualify for the UEFA Champions League once again.

But, in the 94th minute, Jeremy Doku made a brilliant run down the left and crossed across the face of goal for Nunes to finish from a tight angle beyond the far post, earning City a 2-1 win that puts them in the driving seat in the five-way tussle for the remaining Champions League qualification spots.

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That late, late winner means Man City are up to third in the Premier League, a point ahead of Nottingham Forest, who have a game in hand. Villa will be frustrated by missing out on a result tonight, with that loss leaving them two points outside the top five but having played a game more than the three teams directly above them – Chelsea, Newcastle and Forest. The race for those five UEFA Champions League qualification places is certainly not over, but this result could prove pivotal in the final shake-up.

The final whistle goes and Guardiola embraces Rodri on the touchline in an emphatic celebration. It needed added time for City to find the winner that they pushed so hard for, but they finally found the breakthrough that their efforts deserved and City are up to third in the league. Villa look shell-shocked as the strains of Blue Moon kick in on the sound system.

Akanji replaces the excellent De Bruyne for the final few seconds.

Man City look to have won it right at the death and it’s Matheus Nunes who’s got it. Doku makes a brilliant run down the left, bursting away from his marker and fizzing a low cross right across the face of goal, with Nunes arriving at the far post to score a huge goal in the race for Champions League qualification. Guardiola punches the air and Emery holds his face in his hands. 2-1!

City have had so many set-pieces tonight and they win another one, which De Bruyne bends in. Dias heads it towards goal, but Martinez makes a comfortable save.

The board goes up to reveal there will be five minutes of added time at the end of this game. Can one of these teams grab a goal to really shake up the scrap for the top five. As it stands it will be Newcastle, Chelsea and Nottingham Forest who will be happiest with the scoreline.

Another attacking sub comes on as Villa go in search of what would be a huge win in their bid for a top five finish. Malen replaces Rogers.

Bernardo Silva has also gone into the book for dissent, taking his appeals for a sending off too far.

Watkins looks to chase down a pass back and Dias steps across the forward just to hold up the pressure. Watkins responds with an arm across the neck of the City defender, who goes down clutching his face. The referee gives a yellow and VAR agrees it’s not worth more than that.

A headed clearance runs all the way through to Watkins in behind the City defence, who takes his time before shooting, half denied by Ortega with the ball cleared off the line. The whole move came with every player on the pitch fully aware that Watkins was offside, and the flag goes up once the clearance was made. That’s one of those where you feel the assistant maybe could have acted sooner to stop the charade.

De Bruyne picks out the perfect pass to send Doku away down the left. The City attack continues as Doku lays the ball back and Marmoush is threaded through, slotting the ball into the far bottom corner with a clinical finish. He looked offside and the flag does go up as the ball hits the back of the net. Replays show he was just off.

It’s been one-way traffic for much of this second half, but Villa have more numbers forward since those changes and get a cross into the box, which Ortega does well to come out and claim.

Nunes loses his footing as McGinn turns on a sixpence, and the City man takes the booking by hauling down the Scot. It’s a yellow card all day.

Rashford is withdrawn for Watkins, and on comes Asensio too, replacing Onana, as Villa freshen up their attack. Both players to make way have been excellent tonight.

The impressive McAtee is withdrawn and on comes Doku as Guardiola looks to test Villa with a different sort of threat.

City youngster O’Reilly is increasingly involved in the game, pushing forward from left-back, and Villa a struggling to stop his supply of crosses.

Gvardiol halts a Villa attack by chopping down Tielemans and is booked.

O’Reilly fires a low cross into the box but McAtee fails to make contact with his shot and Villa survive.