Pep Guardiola admits he is delighted with Manchester City’s win over Aston Villa on Tuesday night.
The Premier League champions will not retain their crown and are set to hand it over to Liverpool, but they can still secure their place in the Champions League next season.
Villa had the chance to overtake Guardiola’s side with a win at the Etihad but fell just short of the mark, conceding a last-gasp goal at the hands of Matheus Nunes.
It means Unai Emery’s side have work to do if they are to finish in the top five.
Meanwhile for City, they move ever closer to rounding off a poor season for their standards, but will salvage something if they can book their place among Europe’s elite.
Speaking after the game, Guardiola said: “I’m really happy. We’re in the last four in the last five games and a Champions League contender for qualification.
“Aston Villa is a team to the last man, one of the top teams in Europe. We played really good. We were aggressive in our duels, the back four was unbelievable.
— Manchester City (@ManCity) April 22, 2025
“Football is emotion. For the fans, players, we have a lot of pressure for the club to go to the Champions League.
“The players behave unbelievable – we are so pleased. The action from Jeremy Doku, he can create something with his pace.
“He had right players in the box. Football if you’re in this business to live with the disappointment.
“The performance was really good and we were able to do it. The season has been bad. The reality is what makes you feel good is the Premier League.
“But it happens, sometimes you have bad seasons. The level of the teams [in the Premier League] is outstanding.”
