Villa Park: Jackson's brace breaks City's perfect start

Nicolas Jackson scored two goals in the first 60 minutes to lead Aston Villa to a 2-1 victory over Manchester City on Saturday. The result snapped Manchester City's seven-game winning start to the Premier League season and marked their first league defeat of the campaign.

The match began with a quick strike for the home side. In the sixth minute, Marc Guehi made a heavy touch that allowed Jackson to steal the ball. Jackson cut inside Elliott Anderson and fired a high shot past goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to give Villa a 1-0 lead.

Manchester City dominated possession for most of the first half but struggled to find a way past Villa goalkeeper Zion Suzuki. Suzuki denied efforts from Iliman Ndiaye, Rayan Cherki, and Abdukodir Khusanov, while Ndiaye also struck the post. City finally broke through in the 52nd minute when Erling Haaland headed in Ndiaye's cross. It was Haaland's 13th goal in 10 appearances this season.

Villa regained the lead in the 60th minute. Ibrahim Mbaye found space behind the City defense and crossed to Jackson, who finished low past Donnarumma. Josko Gvardiol had a chance to equalize shortly before the second goal, but Suzuki parried his drive onto the crossbar. City pushed for a late equalizer but failed to score.

Manager Enzo Maresca became the first coach to win his first seven Premier League matches with a new club before this loss. His side has now lost at Villa Park in each of the last four seasons. The defeat leaves City vulnerable at the top of the table. Arsenal can move to the same number of points as City if they defeat Everton later on Saturday.

Aston Villa moved to sixth place with the win, their sixth victory in seven games across all competitions. Manager Unai Emery has retained his position in the Champions League despite losing six players who started last season's Europa League final during the summer transfer window. New signings Jackson, Suzuki, Mbaye, and Johan Manzambi have contributed to the team's recent success.

Manchester City continues its appeal against a guilty verdict on more than 100 charges of financial rule violations between 2009 and 2018. The potential sanctions, which could include relegation, have not visibly affected the team's performance until this match. Two defensive errors in the loss highlighted the pressure on the squad as they await the outcome of their legal case.