Nunes moves Man City up to third place against Villa with a late winner.

In a thrilling 2-1 victory over Aston Villa, Matheus Nunes scored the game-winning goal in stoppage time to propel Manchester City to third place in the Premier League standings.

 With Pep Guardiola in charge, it caused joyous celebrations inside the Etihad Stadium. His team is now in a strong position to qualify for the Champions League the following season after ending their opponents' five-game winning streak.

Bernardo Silva gave City the lead early on, but Marcus Rashford equalised for Villa from the penalty spot after Ruben Dias' foul on Jacob Ramsey was called by VAR after Rashford had struck the post after 17 seconds. City persisted in its efforts to find the winner.

In the Champions League standings, City is currently one point ahead of Nottingham Forest thanks to Nunes' goal. Unai Emery's Villa is still in seventh place, but they are only four points behind City.  The race is still close.  However, this was a significant event for City.

The events that transpired at Etihad

 Before kickoff, Roy Keane remarked, "He has made a big call," referring to Emery's choice to start Rashford over Ollie Watkins, who has performed well in his last two Premier League games.  But even from the start, Rashford was a livewire.

After 17 of them, he hit the post, giving City a heads-up that Villa may be a threat.  However, following impressive work by Omar Marmoush out wide, Emiliano Martinez inexplicably let Silva's strike crawl past him, making Villa's task more challenging.

 Guardiola decided to start Silva and Mateo Kovacic in midfield, with Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne in front of them.  The four, all of whom are over 30, provide genuine possession control, but they also make City vulnerable to counterattacks, as demonstrated.

Although Craig Pawson was not aware in real time that Dias had tripped Ramsey, Rashford scored a penalty as a consequence of the VAR intervention.  City hasn't given up this many goals at home during a Premier League season in more than 20 years.  But they're determined.

 James McAtee came very near with a lob over Martinez that slanted wide, but Guardiola's team put up the strongest effort to win.  The pressure did increase on Villa, even though Rashford rounded Stefan Ortega before striking the side netting.

Finding space down the left and releasing an appealing ball behind the back line that Nunes was available to complete, Jeremy Doku's substitution ultimately proved crucial.  The fact that Nunes was present and playing right-back said a lot.

 "You cannot imagine City and Guardiola not in the Champions League," Gary Neville had stated earlier.  Their squad had just enough to snap Villa's incredible run of form on a night when many fans inside the stadium will have sensed that this was on the line.

The players' words...
 Matheus Nunes, the Man City match winner, told Sky Sports:

 "The match was significant.  A really difficult game against a very difficult opponent.  We arrived with the mindset that victory was necessary.

 "Just in time!  The timing couldn't have been more ideal.  We'll find out at the season's conclusion.  It will be crucial.

Youri Tielemans, a midfielder for Aston Villa...

 "Losing at the last minute is frustrating.  We put up a fierce fight.  Almost everything was blocked.  It's frustrating to lose like that.  They have the final chance, and we have the first.  We don't score, but they do.  Football is that.  incredibly annoying.

 "We have four games left.  We will give our all and hopefully be back where we want to be, in the Champions League positions."

 Pep Guardiola, the head coach of Man City...:

 It's not something we're used to!  Liverpool deserves the victory at the last minute.  Since we're not used to it, I'm overjoyed.  We know Champions League competitors like Aston Villa, who are among the best teams in Europe, and we are in the final four games.

 "We performed admirably.  Our back four was fantastic, and we were aggressive in our duels.  Very happy.

 "Emotion is what football is."  We are quite happy because the last two games were really challenging.  I was overjoyed.  I must confess!  Try not to lose because Jeremy's action was excellent and 1-1 wasn't a bad outcome.

"The team put up a lot of fights.  The performance was excellent.  It's an amazing crew.

 "It has been a poor season.  Whether we make it to the final or the Champions League is irrelevant.  The Premier League is what gives you a positive feeling.  It did happen, and awful seasons do come.  The calibre of teams is exceptional, and Liverpool will win the title.

Unai Emery, manager of Aston Villa:

 "We can't squander time.  We did well in the competition and nearly drew.  We used the substitutions in an attempt to win.  They scored after doing the same.

 "We had our chances in a competitive game.  We were forced to accept it.

 "Now is the time to be optimistic.  I'll evaluate the game.  Our goal is to concentrate on Saturday's [FA Cup semi-final] game.

 "We want to try to compete at this level of play.  We make an effort to be strict in order to create a solid framework.  We competed and played today, but I'm really thrilled.  I can't squander time."