Haaland praises Jackson's brace after the Citizens' fall

In Manchester City's dressing room, the atmosphere was heavy after the Citizens, unbeaten since the start of the season, suffered their first Premier League defeat at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain on October 14. Erling Haaland's 13th goal of the season, scored against the Villans, was not enough to overturn the result.

End of a perfect run

After a 100% winning start in the Premier League and the Champions League, the Citizens were beaten 2‑1 by Paris Saint-Germain. This loss ended an uninterrupted run that had seen City dominate both competitions.

Aston Villa overturn City

On Saturday, Aston Villa knocked down Enzo Maresca's side 2‑1, with Nicolas Jackson netting a brace against the Skyblues. Haaland, who scored his 13th goal of the season, found the net in the 52nd minute to narrow the gap.

Jackson leads City to crucial win over Aston Villa

Reactions from Haaland and Enzo Maresca

"I think Aston Villa created good chances and scored two goals. Jackson was very efficient, well done to him. We had chances, but we need to put the ball in the back of the net. That's not enough and we must learn from this match to keep improving," said Erling Haaland, City's number 9.

"We tried to play as we did in previous matches, but Aston Villa is a good team that played well. We had chances, so we need to score, as they did with two on‑target shots. They have a good team and an incredible manager. They want to play football and keep possession, and they have a coach who enables them to do that. Well done to them," added Enzo Maresca, former Dortmund player and Villa manager.

Ex-Chelsea striker leads Villa upset, City falters in Premier League

Despite three defeats and a draw in five matches, City remain unbeaten in eight games (seven wins, one draw). The club has risen to sixth place in the Premier League and sits second in the Champions League, with three consecutive wins in the competition. This achievement is even more notable given that the Villans have lost several key players this summer, including Watkins, Tielemans and Rogers.