Man City player written off after six months is now too important to do without

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Manchester City's nine-game unbeaten run came to an end at Villa Park as a below-par performance saw Aston Villa claim a 1-0 victory.

City had started brightly but had begun to come under pressure before Matty Cash's fine strike from the edge of the box. The Blues were slow to react to a corner routine and Cash had time to bring the ball down before firing in a left-footed half-volley.

Erling Haaland had City's best chances to level but neither was clear cut and Pep Guardiola's side never really looked like forcing their way back into the game.

Missing Gonzalez

Guardiola namechecked three players who could play the holding role for City before the season began, but then picked none of them at Villa Park.

Rodri remains sidelined with a hamstring problem and neither Nico Gon