Aston Villa 2-1 Man City: Nicolas Jackson double ends City's perfect start

Aston Villa ended Manchester City's perfect Premier League start on Saturday, October 24, 2026, winning 2-1 at Villa Park in Birmingham thanks to two goals from striker Nicolas Jackson. Erling Haaland had headed City level early in the second half, but Jackson's second goal on the hour gave Unai Emery's side a deserved win and handed City their first league defeat of the season after seven straight victories.

What happened

Villa struck inside six minutes. City defender Marc Guéhi lost control of a pass from Rúben Dias, John McGinn pounced on the loose ball and set up Jackson, who finished to put the hosts ahead. City dominated the ball for long spells, and Iliman Ndiaye hit the outside of the post before half-time, but Villa's compact, deep defensive shape kept them out.

City manager Enzo Maresca made a double change at the interval, taking off Guéhi and Rayan Cherki for Rico Lewis and Phil Foden, who had scored a hat-trick in midweek in Europe. The changes worked at first: in the 52nd minute Haaland met a cross from Ndiaye at the far post and headed down into the net.

The equaliser lasted only eight minutes. On the hour, Villa broke again and Jackson's first-time shot squirmed under goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma for 2-1. City pushed hard in the closing stages, and deep in stoppage time Ian Maatsen cleared a Haaland header off the line to protect the lead.

Match facts	Aston Villa	Manchester City
Final score	2	1
Goals	Nicolas Jackson 6', 60'	Erling Haaland 52'
Possession (approx.)	37%	63%
Total shots (City)	—	15
Corners (City)	—	7
Yellow cards	—	Guéhi 32', Cherki 38', Anderson 74', McAidoo 76'

City had about 63% of possession, 15 shots, seven corners and 27 crosses, yet Donnarumma conceded from both shots on target he faced.

Background

City had made the best start in the league, winning all seven of their opening matches, including a 3-2 win over Ipswich Town the previous weekend. They went into Saturday's game three points clear of Arsenal at the top of the table on 21 points.

Villa Park has become a difficult ground for them: this was City's fourth defeat there in four seasons. Villa arrived in strong form, having won 1-0 at Newcastle the previous weekend, and have now won six of their last seven games in all competitions. Jackson now has seven goals in all competitions.

Reactions

Maresca felt his side did not deserve to lose. "I don't think we deserved to lose today — but we lost," the City manager said, adding that his team had conceded in the second half only from a counter-attack.

Villa defender Matty Cash praised his manager's game plan, describing Emery as "a tactical genius". Villa defended deep in numbers and looked to break quickly, a plan that produced both goals.

Maresca's decision to start Guéhi and Cherki, and his later substitution of Ndiaye, who had set up the equaliser, are likely to be questioned after a performance in which City struggled to turn possession into clear chances.

Why it matters

The result changes the early shape of the title race. City stay on 21 points but can no longer pull away this weekend, and Arsenal, on 18 points before their own game, have the chance to draw level. Brighton, Chelsea and Liverpool also have the chance to close the gap.

For Villa, the win lifts them into sixth place and confirms them as genuine contenders for the European places again under Emery. For football fans in Pakistan and South Asia, where the Premier League is one of the most-watched leagues, the game kicked off at 4:30pm PKT and was one of the weekend's headline fixtures.

What happens next

The rest of the Premier League's eighth round is played on Saturday and Sunday, including Chelsea against Tottenham in a London derby. City turn their attention to the Carabao Cup, where they face Brighton on Thursday, October 29, 2026. Villa will look to build on the win when the league resumes next weekend.