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Boos Turn To Cheers As Man City Sweep Aston Villa Aside In Pep Guardiola's 250th EPL Game

Manchester City fans booed the Premier League anthem before Sunday's home game against Aston Villa but they had plenty to cheer during the match itself.

Robert Summerscales

Boos Turn To Cheers As Man City Sweep Aston Villa Aside In Pep Guardiola's 250th EPL Game
Boos Turn To Cheers As Man City Sweep Aston Villa Aside In Pep Guardiola's 250th EPL Game /

Manchester City 3-1 Aston Villa

Manchester City fans booed the Premier League anthem before Sunday's home game against Aston Villa but they had plenty to cheer during the match itself.

This was City's first game since the EPL charged the club with more than 100 breaches of its financial rules between 2009 and 2018.

Pep Guardiola spoke defiantly in the build-up to Sunday's game, stating that he trusted that his employers had not broken the rules.

Guardiola was equally defiant when asked how he would feel if it were to transpire that the charges against City were correct and if some of the team's titles were retrospectively taken away as part of the punishment.

"Nobody can remove it, the feelings, the good moments, the bad moments," said Guardiola.

He added: "They belong to us. Regardless of the sentence, they belong to us."

City took a significant step towards winning a seventh EPL title by cruising to a 3-1 win over Villa.

Goals from Rodri, Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez fired City into a 3-0 lead before half-time.

Ollie Watkins then netted a consolation goal in the second half from Villa's first shot.

Guardiola had subbed Erling Haaland off at half-time.

Pep Guardiola pictured applauding his Manchester City players during their 3-1 win over Aston Villa in February 2023
Pep Guardiola pictured applauding his Manchester City players during their 3-1 win over Aston Villa :: IMAGO/News Images/Mark Cosgrove

The Norwegian striker, who had assisted Gundogan for City's second goal, was withdrawn as a precaution after seemingly picking up a thigh injury.

City will be hoping that Haaland can recover in time for Wednesday's EPL game away to Arsenal.

If City beat Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium then they will go top of the league for the first time since August.

Guardiola Reaches 250 EPL Games

Sunday's game was the 250th of Guardiola's Premier League career.

City have now won 184 games under the Spaniard's leadership.

Guardiola's record after 250 matches is better than that of any other manager in EPL history.

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Robert Summerscales
ROBERT SUMMERSCALES

Robert Summerscales launched FanNation Futbol in February 2022. Rob is a British journalist who previously spent two years on the sports desk at the Daily Mail in London, having earlier served as editor of CaughtOffside.com. He has been to the last two FIFA Men's World Cups, in Russia and Qatar, and is looking forward to completing his hat-trick in North America in 2026.

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