EPL: Aston Villa Spoil Guardiola’s Final Game as Man City Boss

Villa cap off best season in modern history with City win  

Aston Villa beat Manchester City 2-1 to finish their standout campaign. Guardiola’s final game ended in defeat despite Semenyo’s opener.

Watkins and Bailey goals gave Villa victory on Guardiola’s farewell day. Foden’s late strike was ruled out by VAR in a 2-1 defeat...

Aston Villa spoiled Pep Guardiola’s farewell as Manchester City manager, beating his side 2-1. The defeat closed out a 10-year spell in charge where Guardiola won 20 trophies.

With the title already confirmed for a North London club, the match wasn’t about silverware. It became a chance to send Guardiola, John Stones and Bernardo Silva off with a win.

Bernardo Silva had the game’s first clear chance. He linked up with Savinho before shooting, and while his effort forced a save from Marco Bizot, the farewell goal didn’t arrive.

City took the lead midway through the first half. Tijjani Reijnders delivered a corner that Antoine Semenyo turned in at the back post with no one marking him.

Savinho looked lively and nearly made it 2-0 soon after. His deflected shot drifted just wide of the far post, leaving him frustrated as it missed.

Savinho had the next big chance too. He reacted quickest to Phil Foden’s deflected shot and forced Bizot into a sharp save at the near post. That kept a heavily rotated Villa side, playing days after their European win, within a goal at half-time.

Many expected Villa to look sluggish after their midweek European exertions. Ollie Watkins showed no signs of it though, reacting fastest when City failed to clear a corner and firing home to quiet the Etihad.

Silva didn’t get his fairytale ending. He was taken off just before the hour mark to a standing ovation from the City fans inside the Etihad.

A COMEBACK WIN ON THE FINAL DAY 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/GMa7pryDoK

— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) May 24, 2026

City’s celebrations were short-lived. Ross Barkley played Watkins in behind, and he cut inside from the right before placing a shot into the bottom corner.

Villa didn’t sit back after equalizing. They kept attacking and nearly went ahead when Leon Bailey’s strike hit the inside of the post and stayed out.

City pushed for a late equalizer to give Guardiola a winning send-off. Phil Foden thought he had it in stoppage time, but VAR ruled it out for offside in the build-up.

The result felt secondary as City said goodbye to a glittering era. For Villa, the win capped off their best season in modern history.