Manchester City 3-2 Aston Villa: 5 talking points as City turn the game around in five minutes to pip Liverpool to the league title | Premier League 2021-22
Manchester City displayed nerves of steel as they overturned a two-goal deficit within five minutes of the second half to secure a 3-2 win over Aston Villa on Sunday, May 22.
Pep Guardiola's men defended their league title in a must-win game, as second-placed Liverpool also emerged victorious in their game against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
37' Man City 0-1 Aston Villa
69' Man City 0-2 Aston Vila
76' Man City 1-2 Aston Villa
78' Man City 2-2 Aston Villa
81' Man City 3-2 Aston Villa
WHAT HAVE WE JUST WITNESSED!!!
Aston Villa scored from their first attempt on goal on a quick counter with Matty Cash heading in from close range following Lucas Digne's inviting cross. Former Liverpool man Philippe Coutinho got in on the action in the 69th minute as Villa doubled their lead.
With their backs against the wall and the clock ticking down, City's hopes of winning the league depended on scoring three goals in the last 20 minutes of the game.
Substitute Ilkay Gundogan headed in the first goal in the 76th minute. With the home crowd's incredible support cheering them on, they scored again in the 78th minute with Rodri drilling in his effort from outside the box.
Gundogan completed the comeback for the hosts with another close-range finish in the 81st minute. The Cityzens held on to this precious one-goal lead for the remainder of the game.
City pipped Liverpool to the league title on the last day by a one-point margin in a repeat of the 2018-19 campaign. On that note, we take a look at the five talking points from the game.
#5 Aston Villa made to rue their initial time-wasting tactics
Aston Villa resorted to time-wasting tactics from the initial stages of the game, with referee Michael Oliver even giving club captain Tyrone Mings an earful early on. It seemed the visiting side were not keen on attacking and did not record a single shot on target until the 37th minute when they took an unexpected lead in the game.
Robin Olsen was booed by the home supporters for taking too long to from goal kicks. The visitors headed into the game ready to play for a draw. While they spent most of the game chasing shadows, whenever they had the ball, they tried to slow down the pace of the game.
#4 Pep Guardiola's shrewd substitutions paid off handsomely
Pep Guardiola is a man with a great footballing brain and he displayed his acumen in this game. He was one goal down in the first half and as a first step replaced a struggling Fernandinho by Oleksandr Zinchenko, who ended up providing the assist for Rodri's equalizer.
Guardiola made the tough decision to replace the in-form Riyad Mahrez with Raheem Sterling and the Englishman provided the assist for Gundogan's first goal of the game.
The third and final substitution of the game for City was a tricky one as Guardiola took out Bernardo Silva and put on Ilkay Gundogan. This proved to be a masterstroke as the German midfielder bagged a second-half brace which helped complete a memorable comeback for the home team.
#3 Manchester City felt the pressure in the first half
Manchester City dominated the proceedings in the game as everyone expected. They saw the lion's share of possession in the first half and also looked sharp on their counter-attacks but lacked the final touch.
Worst of all, they conceded from Aston Villa's first attempt at goal. It was the result of a lack of concentration from the players. They were again caught off guard when Villa scored for the second time and it had a lot to do with the nerves catching up to them.
The defenders were a bit too cautious on both occasions and were afraid of committing fouls at risk of giving away a penalty. Fortunately, they were able to shrug off the nerves in the second half and put in a spirited performance.
#2 Pep Guardiola's fine record in the Premier League continues with the fourth title in five seasons
Pep Guardiola's side overcame a two-goal deficit in this game as the Spaniard helped the club to a fourth Premier League title in his sixth season in charge.
In fact, since his first season in charge of a top-flight club in 2008-09, Pep Guardiola has won more top-flight titles across Europe's top-five leagues than any other manager (10).
Pep Guardiola is the first non-British manager in English football history to win four top-flight league titles. 🏆🏆🏆🏆 https://t.co/mZvu6VAW3f
He did not lose composure despite his side being 2-0 down until the 75th minute of the game. He was on the sidelines the entire time, sending out instructions to his side as they secured a win and thus the league title on the final day.
#1 Ilkay Gundogan's killer instincts in the box proved to be the difference in the game
Ilkay Gundogan scored 13 goals last season, proving his goalscoring abilities and it was this very ability that Guardiola counted upon when he brought the German midfielder on.
The former Borussia Dortmund player has a knack for pouncing in the right place at the right time. He scored two goals from just two shots on target, a sign of just how slim the margins were in this game.
The first goal, a header from close range, came from Raheem Sterling's cross. Just five minutes later, he tapped in from close range from a similar position from Kevin De Bruyne's incisive cross.
The player had an Aguero-esque moment for himself in this game and scored two game-changing goals.