Aston Villa brought Manchester City’s impressive start to the Premier League season to an abrupt halt on Saturday, defeating the champions 2-1 at Villa Park as Nicolas Jackson struck twice to hand Unai Emery’s side a memorable home victory.
Jackson opened the scoring in the sixth minute before Erling Haaland restored parity for City shortly after half-time. The Senegalese forward, however, struck again eight minutes later to secure all three points for Villa and end City’s run of seven consecutive league victories.
Villa made an immediate impact, with Jackson finishing a move set up by captain John McGinn to put the hosts ahead inside the opening six minutes.
City struggled to turn their possession into an equaliser before the interval but responded four minutes into the second half. Haaland rose to head home a cross from Iliman Ndiaye in the 52nd minute, bringing the visitors back into the contest.
The equaliser proved short-lived. In the 60th minute, Jackson completed his brace, converting an assist from Ibrahim Mbaye to restore Villa’s advantage and send the home supporters into celebration.
City manager Enzo Maresca attempted to change the course of the game at half-time, introducing Phil Foden and Rico Lewis for Rayan Cherki and Marc Guehi.
Villa also made several second-half substitutions, including the introduction of Mbaye, Emiliano Buendia and Ross Barkley, as Emery’s men sought to protect their lead.
Despite City’s efforts to find another equaliser, Villa remained organised defensively and held on through stoppage time to claim a significant victory.
The result denied City the chance to extend their perfect league start to eight matches. They entered the weekend at the top of the table with 21 points, while Villa began the match in 12th place with eight points.
For Villa, the victory continued an encouraging recent record against City. Saturday’s result marked their third consecutive Premier League win over the Manchester side, following a 1-0 home victory in October 2025 and a 2-1 away triumph in May 2026.
Villa had also won four of their previous six league meetings with City before the latest encounter, underlining their growing success against the visitors.
Both sides arrived in Birmingham on the back of convincing European victories. City had beaten AEK Athens 5-1 in the Champions League, while Villa recorded a 3-1 win over Viking FK.
However, it was Villa who carried their momentum into the domestic contest, with Jackson’s clinical finishing proving decisive.
The victory gives Emery’s side a valuable boost in their league campaign, while City must respond to their first setback after seven straight wins as the Premier League season gathers pace.
