Aston Villa 1-2 Man City: Player ratings as Phil Foden shines in Cityzens victory

Phil Foden showed onwatching England boss Gareth Southgate exactly what he could do as he inspired his Manchester City side to a 2-1 win over Aston Villa on Wednesday night.

Villa raced into an early lead with just 20 seconds on the clock as John Stones fluffed his lines trying to intercept Tyrone Mings' long ball, before Ollie Watkins cut the ball back to John McGinn who slotted home.

The visitors drew level midway through the first half as a brilliant team move started with Ederson and ended with Phil Foden picking out the bottom corner, before Rodri's glancing header handed City the lead five minutes before half-time.

The visitors were in cruise control but the game swung back into the balance as Stones' shocking evening came to an end after he was shown a red card for a reckless challenge on Jacob Ramsey, though Matty Cash picked up two bookings in three second-half minutes to make it 10-a-side.

Villa did their best to push for an equaliser but City's possession was utterly relentless as Pep Guardiola's side edged closer to the Premier League title.

Now to those Villa and City player ratings...

ASTON VILLA PLAYER RATINGS

1. Goalkeeper & defenders

Emiliano Martinez (GK) - 6/10 - Did brilliantly to anticipate a number of City crosses before leaving his line to cut them out, but was found wanting as he charged off his line for the City winner.

Matty Cash (RB) - 4/10 - Some timely interceptions at the back post but let himself down by picking up a second yellow card of the evening just three minutes after his first.

Ezri Konsa (CB) - 7/10 - Guardiola's side probably would have had three or four if it wasn't for this man. Produced some solid blocks and looked comfortable stepping into the wide areas to help out his full-backs.

Tyrone Mings (CB) - 6/10 - Great vision to spot the run of Watkins and take a quick free kick to catch City off guard for the Villa opener. Caught ball-watching as Rodri headed City ahead.

Matt Targett (LB) - 7/10 - Took advantage of Riyad Mahrez's inability to track his man and caused the City backline plenty of problems.

2. Midfielders

John McGinn (CM) - 7/10 - Did brilliantly to anticipate Stones' missed clearance before grabbing the opening goal. Tried to keep hold of the ball and drag his side up the pitch but it was like trying to push water uphill.

Douglas Luiz (CM - 6/10 - Sat at the base of the Villa midfield three but couldn't contain the runs of Ilkay Gundogan. Did keep hold of the ball well and helped launch the occasional sporadic attack.

Marvelous Nakamba (CM) - 5/10 - Did his best to disrupt the flow of City's metronome midfield but it proved to be a thankless task. Withdrawn with 25 minutes to play as Dean Smith went in search of an equaliser.

3. Forwards

Bertrand Traore (RW) - 5/10 - Offered precious little down the Villa right. Lasted 75 minutes before being taken off but it really wasn't a memorable display.

Ollie Watkins (ST) - 6/10 - Fantastic awareness to pick out McGinn who opened the scoring. Found himself a little isolated as City took control of the game and spent most of the night chasing lost causes.

Jacob Ramsey (LW) - 6/10 - Didn't neglect his defensive duties as Mahrez flooded forward but in truth he was like a dog chasing its tail at times. Withdrawn at half-time after for tactical reasons.

4. Substitutes

Keinan Davis (ST) - 5/10

Ross Barkley (CM) - 6/10

Anwar El Ghazi (RW) - 6/10

MAN CITY PLAYER RATINGS

5. Goalkeeper & defenders

Ederson (GK) - 7/10 - Very little he could do about the Villa opener. Unbelievable range of passing opened up the game and helped City launch countless attacks.

Kyle Walker (RB) - 5/10 - Looked very reckless at times and was lucky not to concede a number of cheap free kicks. Used his pace well but was caught out of position far too often.

John Stones (CB) - 3/10 - Decided to go with his left foot instead of his right to clear Mings' long ball in the opening 20 second and made an absolute mess of it. Sent for an early bath after a terrible challenge on Ramsey. His back catalogue of shockers is decent but this is up there.

Ruben Dias (CB) - 7/10 - Had to regroup following the dismissal of his defensive partner but he didn't look to be at all fazed and continued to comfortably knock the ball around.

Oleksandr Zinchenko (LB) - 7/10 - Great work in the buildup to City's equaliser as he burst free and was picked out by Ederson. Roamed around a lot and helped link up play with the midfield.

6. Midfielders

Rodri (DM) - 6/10 - Good header to hand his side the lead. Given little more to do on the night than keep the ball moving in midfield before sitting and watching his side flood forward.

Ilkay Gundogan (CM) - 7/10 - City passed the ball to death at times and this man was central to every move. Started to advance further up the field in the second half and basically just controlled the game.

Bernardo Silva (CM) - 7/10 - Lovely overlapping run before laying the ball on a plate for Foden to equalise and then grabbed another assist as Rodri headed City ahead.

7. Forwards

Riyad Mahrez (RW) - 5/10 - Caused problems down the Villa left but his final ball was lacking at times. Grew frustrated as the game wore on but just ended up being more wasteful when he should have been looking to pick out a teammate.

Gabriel Jesus (ST) - 4/10 - Who? Absolutely anonymous for the majority of the first half and was substituted at half-time.

Phil Foden (LW) - 8/10 - Fantastic goal to level the scoring. Literally unstoppable when he's in full swing and had the Villa defence on strings. Showed glimpses of absolute quality and will no doubt have given Southgate plenty to think about.

8. Substitutes

Aymeric Laporte (CB) - 6/10

Fernandinho (DM) - N/A