Nicolas Jackson double ends Manchester City's perfect start as Arsenal draw level

Nicolas Jackson scored twice as Aston Villa ended Manchester City’s perfect start to the Premier League season on Saturday, beating Enzo Maresca’s side 2-1 at Villa Park. City had won all seven of their league games before the trip to Birmingham, their best start to a Premier League campaign.

They stay top, but no longer alone. Arsenal beat Everton 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium in the evening kick-off and are level with City on 21 points.

How Villa did it

Villa struck inside seven minutes. Marc Guéhi took a heavy touch in the City defence, John McGinn pounced on the loose ball, and he fed Jackson to finish.

Erling Haaland pulled City level early in the second half, and for a spell the leaders looked like they would push on. Instead Villa went back in front on the hour. Ibrahim Mbaye surged down the right and cut the ball back, and Jackson’s shot went under Gianluigi Donnarumma.

City pressed for the rest of the game but could not find a way through. Maresca put it down to a lack of edge in front of goal. “We lost because we were not being clinical enough in their box,” he said.

Jackson, who has made a fast start at Villa, credited the whole club. “The players, the manager, the team, everything is incredible,” he told BBC’s Match of the Day. “It’s my work, so I’m very happy to do it every time,” he said in another interview.

Former England goalkeeper Joe Hart summed up City’s afternoon: “City huffed and puffed but ultimately they didn’t have the answers and Nicholas Jackson was ruthless.”

Villa’s right-back Matty Cash said Unai Emery hands his players specific tasks but that “you need to take responsibility”, and that he likes to be aggressive against wingers such as Jérémy Doku. The win lifted Villa to sixth, a week after they won 1-0 at Newcastle United.

Arsenal take their chance

Arsenal knew a City slip would let them close the gap, and they took the opportunity. Arsenal were reported to have sealed the win in the 68th minute, when Gabriel headed in a cross from Ben White in what was his 200th league appearance for the club.

It was Arsenal’s second straight league win after their 1-0 victory at Nottingham Forest last weekend.

Elsewhere

In the late game, Tottenham Hotspur won 2-0 at Chelsea, where Cole Palmer was sent off, a result that dented the hopes of a side who started the day fourth.

For City, the defeat means the next slip could cost them top spot outright, with Arsenal now level on points.