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Aston Villa 0-0 Man City
by Simon Williams
at Villa Park
Aston Villa claimed a priceless point yesterday in their fight to escape the Premier League relegation zone with a goalless draw against Manchester City at Villa Park.
The league’s bottom club restricted the league leaders with an impressive defensive display under new manager Remi Garde.
“I’m pleased for the players because they worked very hard today,” said the Frenchman.
“They worked very well since the beginning of the week and they are rewarded by a good point.”
Prior to the game, the Villans had lost seven successive Premier League matches. But Garde felt that the result gave him something to work on as his side look to climb to safety.
He said: “A clean sheet against such a good team and such good players all over the field means that we should be a little more confident next time.”
A lacklustre opening 45 minutes saw the game goalless at the break. However, City would have felt aggrieved having been denied a penalty for Ciaran Clark’s challenge on Raheem Sterling late in the half.
Sterling then missed a gilt-edged chance early in the second-half when his close range header was saved off the face of Villa keeper Brad Guzan, while Kevin de Bruyne failed to connect with a Jesus Navas cross just in front of goal.
The visitors had the chance to snatch all three points in the dying embers of the game when Yaya Toure crossed for Fernando who headed the ball against the bar from six yards out before Fernandinho side-footed a shot inches wide of the post.
City have now drawn two of their last three league games 0-0, this after a run of 60 games without a goalless draw but manager Manuel Pellegrini claimed he wasn’t worried.
“I’m disappointed about the result but I have nothing to complain about the team because I thought we played very well for 90 minutes,” said the Chilean.
“We were very unlucky with three or four clear opportunities that we had. We tried by different ways to score the goal but sometimes these things happen in football and we couldn’t.”
