Guardiola Savours Rare Late Winner As Nunes Fires Manchester City To Vital Victory.
Pep Guardiola has admitted his euphoric celebration of Matheus Nunes’s stoppage-time winner against Aston Villa was born out of rarity, as Manchester City secured a dramatic 2-1 victory at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night.
Nunes, who netted his first Premier League goal for City, struck in the fourth minute of added time to seal a crucial win over fellow top-five contenders Aston Villa. The dramatic finish sparked a raw and passionate reaction from Guardiola, who was seen pumping his fists and roaring with delight on the touchline.
The late goal lifted City into a more favourable position in the race for Champions League qualification, with just four games remaining in what has been a turbulent campaign for the reigning champions.
“We’re not used to it,”* Guardiola admitted. “That belongs to Liverpool, especially — how many times did they score late winners under Jürgen (Klopp)? And Arsenal under Mikel (Arteta) as well. I’m not used to it, so I’m really, really happy.”
“Football is emotion — for the fans, for the players. We have a lot of pressure, for the club to get into the Champions League. The players behaved unbelievably. We’re so pleased. With four matches to go, we’re still contenders.”
The match had looked to be slipping away from City after Marcus Rashford converted a controversial penalty for Villa, cancelling out Bernardo Silva’s early opener. The penalty was awarded following a VAR review, with referee intervention after Ruben Dias made contact with Jacob Ramsey — a decision that infuriated Guardiola, who received a booking for his protests on the sideline.
Despite the setback, City rallied and found their moment of glory through Nunes’s clinical finish from a tight angle — offering a rare highlight in a season that will see them surrender their Premier League crown after four consecutive title wins.
“The season has been bad. The reality is what makes you feel good is the Premier League,” Guardiola said bluntly, though he praised his team’s performance against what he described as one of the best sides in Europe. “Aston Villa are a top team. But we played really well. We were aggressive in our duels, the back four was unbelievable.”
The defeat was a bitter pill to swallow for Villa, who now sit two points adrift of the top five. It follows their Champions League quarter-final heartbreak against Paris Saint-Germain, and manager Unai Emery urged his players to refocus quickly ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace at Wembley.
“We can’t waste time,” Emery said. *“We lost in the last minute of this match, but we competed well. Over 90 minutes, Man City dominated more, but we played a good, competitive game.”
“We want to maintain the level we’ve reached and stay demanding so we can build ourselves stronger. Tomorrow, we rest. Thursday and Friday, we work hard to prepare for Crystal Palace.”
City’s late winner has breathed new life into their campaign, and while a fifth consecutive title may be beyond reach, Champions League qualification remains firmly in their grasp.
