© Provided by 90min Aston Villa's stars were unimpressed with the penalty call | Pool/Getty Images
- A fun match as 10-man City took another big step towards regaining the Premier League title as the lead at the top goes to 11 points thanks to a dramatic victory at Aston Villa. One with many turns and twits. Villa went up inside a minute and Phil Foden followed with a goal at 22 minutes past.
- Dean Smith has issued a concerning update to Aston Villa’s official website concerning Morgan Sanson – but offered slightly more positive news on Trezeguet. Villa have had to deal with a number of injuries in recent weeks. Of course, the most notable one was suffered by captain Jack Grealish. But they also suffered another setback.
- ASTON VILLA slammed Burnley's tough playing style in a controversial tweet. James Tarkowski's fierce first-half challenge smashed dangerously into the heel of Villa scorer Ollie Watkins during the.
An out of sorts Aston Villa came up against champions-elect Manchester City to shift the focus from an action filled week off the field. Let’s see how Seb rated the lads! Aston Villa: Preview, Team News, and Ways to Watch New, 16 comments Liverpool come off a loss in Madrid to a must-win match in the top four race.
Aston Villa duo Douglas Luiz and Emi Martinez took to social media to vent their frustrations towards the penalty decision which saw them miss out on a possible point against Manchester United on Friday.
The two sides were tied at 1-1 when Paul Pogba went down in the box under pressure from midfielder Douglas Luiz, who looked absolutely livid when referee Michael Oliver pointed to the spot.
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The Villa players argued that Pogba had in fact tripped himself, but the decision went to VAR and was upheld without much delay, and Bruno Fernandes stepped up to net what turned out to be the winning goal.
Further replays showed Pogba's foot brushing off Luiz before colliding with the back of his own leg, but the Villa man wasn't having any of it.
'I see this video, I can't believe it was a penalty,' he said on Twitter, alongside footage of the incident. 'I always support fairer football, with fewer mistakes, but then I stop and see these types of moves.
'If we have VAR to help, let's start using it CORRECTLY, these mistakes can define the future of clubs!'
Luiz later added a replay from another angle to give the Premier League a 'clearer view' of the incident, before retweeting another video which appeared to show Pogba urging Luke Shaw to go down to win a penalty earlier in the game.
Goalkeeper Martinez also got in on the fun, posting his own video of the highlight along with the sarcastic caption 'highlight of the game'.
It's yet another incident which has left fans questioning the use of VAR, and Villa boss Dean Smith insisted referee Oliver should have been urged to go watch the footage on the monitor to better inform himself before making a decision.
© Pool/Getty Images Smith felt VAR could have done more | Pool/Getty Images'They got what l believed was a penalty at the time - I thought Douglas Luiz got too tight - but having seen it back, it looks like he trips himself up,' Smith told Sky Sports. 'For me, Michael Oliver should be sent over to the monitor. That's what VAR is for. If there's doubt, get yourself over there.
'At the time l had no doubts it was a penalty. But Pogba has tripped himself up there. Seeing it again, I don't think it is a penalty.'
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Can Aston Villa keep its fading European hopes alive by reopening the door to the Premier League throne room when Manchester City visits Villa Park (start time 3:15pm ET Wednesday on NBCSN and online via NBCSports.com)?
Villa has 44 points and sits 11th on the table, but has one or two games-in-hand on all the teams ahead of it, with seventh-place Tottenham holding 50 points and sixth-place Liverpool on 53.
[ MORE: How to watch PL in the USA ]
Man City’s recent league loss to Leeds United coupled with Manchester United’s long winning streak mean the league leaders are just eight points clear of their neighbors with six matches to play.
A loss to Villa would ask several questions about the title race considering Man City is about to stage a League Cup and the UEFA Champions League semifinals following a loss to Chelsea in the FA Cup semifinal round.
Team news
Aston Villa
OUT: Wesley (fitness), Jack Grealish (calf), Morgan Sanson (knee), Trezeguet (knee).
Man City
OUT: Sergio Aguero (knock), Kevin De Bruyne (ankle).
🟣 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦 🟣
This is how we line up to face Manchester City tonight… #AVLMCIpic.twitter.com/aUp2NfqXiQ
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) April 21, 2021
Your City side to take on Aston Villa!
XI | Ederson, Walker, Dias, Stones, Zinchenko, Gündogan (C), Rodrigo, Bernardo, Mahrez, Foden, Jesus
SUBS | Steffen, Aké, Sterling, Laporte, Torres, Mendy, Fernandinho, Cancelo, Garcia
⚽️ @HaysWorldwide
🦁 v 🔷 #ManCitypic.twitter.com/PXSCJ3B9yZ
— Manchester City (@ManCity) April 21, 2021
Odds and ends (full odds provided by our partner, PointsBet)
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Villa Park is not expected to see a win for the hosts, with +750 the payout for a win and +375 for a draw. Man City is -278 favorites to register a bounceback win.
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Prediction
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Maybe if Jack Grealish was on the pitch. Maybe. But City’s mini-slump cost it a quadruple, not its identity. Aston Villa 0-3 Man City.
How to watch Aston Villa – Man City, stream and start time
Kickoff: 3:15pm ET Wednesday
TV Channel: NBCSN
Stream: Online via NBCSports.com
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