John Townley's Aston Villa player ratings after Unai Emery's side beat Man City in the Premier League

Aston Villa claimed their first home league win of the season against Man City, beating the league leaders 2-1 to end their perfect start.

Nicolas Jackson scored both of Villa’s goals, either side of Erling Haaland’s equaliser early in the second half.

Villa kicked towards the Holte End in the first period and started on top, with City unable to quell the hostile atmosphere inside Villa Park.

They took the lead in the seventh minute through Jackson, who crashed the ball past Gianluigi Donnarumma after John McGinn won possession in the final third following a poor touch from Marc Guehi.

City responded with Iliam Ndiaye cutting inside from the right onto his left foot, but Zion Suzuki palmed his effort away from danger.

Villa’s Japanese ‘keeper was then on hand to deny Rayan Cherki from close range after Jeremie Doku pulled the ball back for the Frenchman, with Suzuki reacting quickly to make the save.

There was little Suzuki could do to stop Ndiaye from nearly equalising in the 28th minute, as the winger again cut inside onto his left foot from the edge of the box and curled the ball towards the far post, only for the woodwork to bail Villa out.

Alysson, who was making his third consecutive start this afternoon, came closest to doubling Villa’s lead before the break. He skipped into the box, evading City defenders, but Ruben Dias made a crucial block to prevent the Brazilian from getting his shot away.

Enzo Maresca made two changes at the break, bringing on Phil Foden and Rico Lewis. His league leaders started much brighter and pulled level when Haaland headed in Ndiaye’s cross at the back post.

Villa’s first change was to replace Alysson for Ibrahim Mbaye, and the substitute made an instant impact, racing down the right and pulling the ball back for Senegal teammate Jackson to again fire past Donnarumma.

Emery's side have now won six of their last seven matches in all competitions and have lost just one of their last 10.

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Player ratings

Zion Suzuki

Suzuki made two important saves in the first half, one to deny Ndiaye before the winger hit the post, and another to keep out Cherki. He then made a top save to deny Gvardiol, tipping his strike onto the bar. 8

Matty Cash

Cash returned to the starting XI after being rested in midweek. City's Doku is one of the hardest wingers to contain in the league at the moment, but Villa's right-back never gave up on a duel and wasn't afraid to get physical with him. 8

Victor Lindelof

Lindelof has excellent positional awareness and is able to spot danger before it becomes an issue. He made a number of clearances again this afternoon. 8

Pau Torres

Torres linked up play well when Villa were playing through City's press and remained organised alongside Lindelof. Calm and composed. 8

Ian Maatsen

Maatsen made his long-awaited return from injury after being sidelined for five weeks with an ankle injury. Ndiaye was able to bend the ball towards the far post twice in the first half from that side, but Maatsen stuck at his task well. Cleared the ball off the line when Haaland headed towards goal again in the final minutes. 8

Boubacar Kamara

Kamara was straight back into the double pivot after also being rested against Viking. His impressive passing was key to Villa's build-up, while his bravery in receiving the ball under pressure was also important. 8

Joao Gomes

Gomes covered ground well and was in the faces of City's midfielders throughout. He didn't misplace a single pass in the first half. Energy levels stayed until the last minute of the game. Shrewd business at £35 million. 8

Alysson

It was another vote of confidence in Alysson from Emery, who handed the Brazilian a third successive start. He slalomed his way into the penalty area in the 39th minute before being tackled by Dias. It would likely have ended in a goal had he been able to get his shot away. 7

John McGinn

McGinn operated centrally today, between Manzambi and Alysson. It was a captain's performance, both on and off the ball. He won the ball back for Jackson's goal and set the tempo. 8

Johan Manzambi

Manzambi passed a late fitness test to start against City. He started on the left side of the attack today rather than in the number 10 role. He showed flashes of his quality in possession, but it was his work off the ball that impressed most. He got stuck in, and Emery will have loved that. 7

Nicolas Jackson

It's now seven goals already for Jackson in a Villa shirt. He took his first with aplomb, slamming the ball beyond Donnarumma, and his movement at the top of the pitch was again first-class. His second was another well-hit strike, which Donnarumma couldn't keep out either. 9*

SUBS

Ibrahim Mbaye (for Alysson, 59'): Instant impact from Mbaye, who raced down the right and pulled the ball back for Jackson just moments after coming into the game. Tracked back well too. 8

Ross Barkley (for McGinn, 67'): Emery called on his experince to see the win out. 6

Emi Buendia (for Manzambi, 67'): Played his part after coming on. 6

Leon Goretzka (for Gomes, 82'): N/A

Brian Madjo (for Jackson, 82'): N/A

Subs not used: Bizot, Mings, Bogarde, Hemmings.

GOALS

Aston Villa: Jackson (7', 60')

Manchester City: Haaland (52')