Ollie Watkins marks his 100th Aston Villa appearance with a goal!

PL’s black sheep make Villans look cheap.

Clearly not fazed by the threat of potential sanctions from the Premier League (PL) for alleged financial misconduct, Manchester City ramped up the pressure on Arsenal at the summit ahead of their showdown with the table-topping Gunners on Wednesday, thanks to a 3-1 victory over Aston Villa that marked their 13th successive home PL H2H win.

Riyad Mahrez has provided more assists than any other player since the Premier League returned after the World Cup (4).

vs. Everton

vs. Spurs

vs. Wolves

vs. Aston Villa

And they’ve all come in his last four league games at the Etihad.

Rodri’s last two goals at the Etihad:

◉ May 2022: vs. Aston Villa

◉ Feb 2023: vs. Aston Villa

Four of his last five goals have now come against either Leeds or Villa.

Erling Haaland’s game by numbers vs. Aston Villa:

100% pass accuracy (4/4)

6 touches

3 touches in opp. box

1 shot

1 chance created

1 assist

Taken off as a precaution at HT.

Five Manchester City players completed 100% of their passes in the first half vs. Aston Villa:

◉ Ruben Dias (46/46)

◉ Aymeric Laporte (46/46)

◉ Ederson (14/14)

◉ İlkay Gündoğan (12/12)

◉ Erling Haaland (4/4)

Mahrez could have added the icing on the cake for City, had his late strike from six yards not gone into orbit, but it was immaterial in the grand scheme of things, with Pep Guardiola surely a happier man today with three points and a smaller commute home after his travelling jibe last week. As for Villa, they could still have a say in the title race, with Arsenal next up for them as they seek to solidify their spot in mid-table.

vs Southampton

vs Leicester

vs Man City

For the first time in his career, Ollie Watkins has scored three consecutive Premier League goals.