While every Aston Villa player involved in our 2-1 win over Man City deserves credit, the impact of Morgan Rogers and Jhon Duran certainly deserves special praise.
Duran set us on our way in the 16th minute, as he broke the deadlock by finishing off a fine team move to put us ahead, while Rogers doubled that advantage just after the hour mark to put Villa in control.
READ MORE: Villa player ratings vs Man City: Influential trio superb in excellent win
The attacking duo have been pivotal for Unai Emery so far this season, both through their goal involvements and general influence on our play, but they delivered in a big game this weekend to help us pick up another memorable victory over Pep Guardiola’s side.
Beyond his goal though, this was arguably Duran’s most complete, all-round performance in a Villa shirt given how effectively he led the line for us, both with and without the ball.
The 21-year-old worked tirelessly out of possession to apply pressure on the City defenders, forcing them into mistakes and pouncing when we won back the ball in attacking areas, as evidenced within the first minute of the game as he almost gave us an immediate lead.
His movement, hold-up play and the way in which he was able to bring others into play and link our moves together was very encouraging, and so that will undoubtedly have pleased Emery as Duran continues to try and satisfy his demands and earn a more permanent role in the Villa starting XI.
For Rogers, he continued to be a driving force from deeper areas, showcasing his power and technical ability to break with speed and intent and create openings against an exposed City backline.
While he has lacked a sharpness to his play in recent weeks, and surrendered possession too easily at times on Saturday, the most important aspect of his performance was that he added an end product and clinical edge to his play by registering an assist and goal to lead us to all three points.
Emery re-emphasised that point in his post-match interview as he has challenged the Villa ace to be more consistent in front of goal, particularly given his ability to provide a threat in the final third and find himself in dangerous positions and situations, and Rogers delivered on this occasion.
Duran and Rogers have the ability to become fundamental figures for Villa for years to come, as they still have their entire careers ahead of them, have plenty of room for improvement and will clearly be key pieces in Emery’s plans moving forward.
Importantly, the Villa boss will take plenty of encouragement from their respective displays this weekend, and it’s hoped that they continue to show consistency in ticking the boxes of demands from Emery to develop further.
Highlights from our 2-1 win over Man City at Villa Park 📺
Enjoy, Villans 🙌 pic.twitter.com/5KUODbFaIk
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) December 21, 2024