MANCHESTER: Manchester City’s Matheus Nunes scored a priceless stoppage-time winner to salvage a crucial 2-1 Premier League victory over Aston Villa on Tuesday in their breathless chase for a Champions League berth next season.

The teams appeared to be heading for a draw after Marcus Rashford’s penalty cancelled out Bernardo Silva’s goal in the first half, but Nunes fired home Jeremy Doku’s cross in the 94th minute to lift City two places to third in the table on 61 points.

Pep Guardiola’s men, however, have played one more game than the three teams directly behind them, while Villa, who have lost 15 successive games at the Etihad Stadium, remained seventh on 57 points in the crowded top of the table.

“We are not used to [scoring late winners], so I’m really, really happy for the goal that we scored at the end, because we are in the last four or five games, and a Champions League contender for qualification,” Guardiola told Sky Sports.

With the race for a top-five finish approaching a tense climax, Portugal midfielder Nunes, converted to right-back lately, could not have picked a better time to net his first league goal for City.

With four games left, City will remain at least fifth even if fourth-placed Nottingham Forest, fifth-placed Newcastle and sixth-placed Chelsea each win their game in hand.

After winning the Premier League six times in the previous seven seasons, City have been reduced to fighting for a place in the Champions League at a time of year when they are usually in the title hunt.

City’s decline has already been remarkable enough, but enduring a first season without Champions League action since 2010-11 would be a new low and this was a vital step in avoiding that fate.

City will turn their attention to the FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest at Wembley on Sunday, while Villa must bounce back from a painful loss in time for their own last-four clash with Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Unai Emery’s Villa were eliminated from the Champions League quarter-finals last week after narrowly failing in their bid for a dramatic fightback against Paris St Germain in the second leg.

“Over 90 minutes [Man City] dominated more, but we played a good competitive match,” Emery said. “Take a lot of positive things and now is a moment to be positive. We can’t waste time now, we have to keep going.”

City went ahead in the seventh minute when Omar Marmoush raced by Villa right-back Matty Cash before cutting the ball back for an onrushing Silva, whose stinging strike from 10 yards was too powerful for Emiliano Martinez’s awkward attempted save to keep out.

Rashford, who had a shot clatter off the post 18 seconds into the game, pulled Villa level from the penalty spot in the 18th minute, after VAR determined Ruben Dias clipped Jacob Ramsey from behind with his right leg. Rashford calmly sent keeper Stefan Ortega the wrong way before slotting home.

City had 14 shots to Villa’s seven before clinching a deserved victory when Doku drove down the left-hand side and squared the ball for Nunes arriving at the back post.

Guardiola’s frenzied fist-pumping dance of joy underlined the significance of a crucial result in a turbulent season that could still have an uplifting finale.

Published in Dawn, April 24th, 2025