Pep Guardiola Ends 593-Match City Run in 2-1 Aston Villa Loss — Classement Manchester City – Aston Villa
Aston Villa beat Manchester City 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium in Pep Guardiola’s 593rd and final match with the club, closing the league season with the scoreline that defined classement manchester city – aston villa. The result left City as runners-up behind Arsenal after the 38th matchday was completed.
Watkins strikes at the Etihad
Ollie Watkins scored twice for Aston Villa, and those two goals were enough to decide the final-day result. Semenyo opened the scoring in the first period, setting the tone before Villa finished the job in Manchester.
Manchester City still had the season’s top scorer on the field. Erling Haaland ended the league campaign with 27 goals, while the team finished second in the official standings behind Arsenal, who were listed as champions 22 years later.
Guardiola’s farewell inside City
The match was more than a league game at the Etihad. Staff and personnel wore shirts reading Guardiola - 10 in tribute to Guardiola’s 10 years at the club, and Bernardo Silva was given the captain’s armband by Ruben Diaz before the team saluted the stands.
John Stones was set to sign off in his last match for Manchester City, while Ederson, now at Fenerbahce, was celebrated on the occasion. Ilkay Gundogan thanked the club for 8 wonderful years and said he had won 14 titles with City, including 5 Premier League titles, across 358 matches.
Farewell names at City
Manuel Estuarte also said goodbye, and Xavier Mansisidor left after training all the goalkeepers under Guardiola. Lorenzo Buenaventura received tributes from the City crowd as the club closed the final chapter of Guardiola’s run with one more home defeat than anyone in blue would have wanted.
Ederson’s message captured the mood in the stands: “C'est si bon d'être de retour ici. De revoir les joueurs, le staff, le stade. Je suis venu pour dire au-revoir à Pep (Guardiola), à mes coéquipiers. Je suis heureux d'avoir participé à cette histoire. Je remercie le club de m'avoir ouvert ses portes.” Gundogan also told the club: “Je ne peux que dire merci énormement à tous pour ces 8 merveilleuses années ici. Vous m'avez tout donné, tout ce dont j'ai rêvé. Vous êtes ma famille et ici c'est ma maison. Merci à tous”
