Aston Villa were leading Premier League leaders Manchester City 1-0 at half-time in Saturday's encounter, giving the hosts an opportunity to claim a major result against the title contenders.

The match was in first-half stoppage time when the score update was provided, with Villa holding their advantage as the teams approached the interval.

Manchester City arrived at the fixture top of the Premier League table with 21 points from eight matches.

They had won seven games and lost once, scoring 19 goals and conceding eight.

Pep Guardiola's side had established themselves as the early pace-setters, but Villa's advantage put them in danger of dropping points in the race for the title.

Villa started the weekend in sixth place with 11 points from eight matches.

Their record included three victories, two draws and three defeats, while their eight goals scored and 11 conceded left them with a goal difference of -3.

A victory would take Villa to 14 points and strengthen their position among the teams looking to close the gap on the leading sides.

For City, the immediate task was to find a response after falling behind. Losing would leave them vulnerable to Arsenal, who were scheduled to face Everton later in the afternoon.

Arsenal began the day with 18 points from seven matches, three behind City, meaning the outcome at Villa Park could influence the battle at the top of the table.

Villa still had the second half to navigate, with City possessing the opportunity to recover. However, the hosts had put themselves in a promising position to secure a result that could reshape the standings.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/scores-fixtures