“Three straight league wins over Man City and four consecutive home victories against them

Three straight league wins over Manchester City, and four in a row at Villa Park. Aston Villa have beaten City in the league three times running for the first time since September 1966, and the latest result came in the most dramatic circumstances yet. So why does it matter so much?

Villa’s 2-1 win on October 24 made them the first team to take points off City this season, and it was the first time in 60 years they had won three consecutive league games against them. City arrived with a perfect record, boasting a 100 per cent start under Enzo Maresca, and had won all seven of their opening league games. Villa stopped that run in its tracks.

The nature of the win matters as much as the result. Nicolas Jackson scored twice, helped by a pair of calamitous errors from City. Erling Haaland pulled City level with a header after the break, but Jackson scored again on the hour mark. Villa then had to hold on, with Zion Suzuki making crucial saves and the woodwork helping out. It was a team showing it can suffer as well as score.

Then there is the timing. The win came on the fourth anniversary of Unai Emery’s appointment, which makes it a neat summary of his tenure. When Emery arrived in October 2022, beating City regularly seemed unrealistic. Now Villa Park is a ground City genuinely dread, and Emery’s side go there expecting to win.

Perhaps the most striking point is that Villa did this while still finding their feet this season. It was their first league win at home this campaign, yet they dismantled the league leaders anyway.

The record is about more than bragging rights over a rival. It shows a team with a clear tactical identity, belief in big moments and a manager who has made one of English football’s toughest fixtures feel routine. If this form continues, Villa will not only be the team that beats City, but one the whole league has to take seriously.