The kind of result which not so long ago felt like a dream is now starting to feel somewhat routine.
Matty Cash’s second goal of the season, coupled with plenty of dogged defending, earned Villa a victory which puts them firmly back among the European challengers.
A run of fixtures which was always going to provide a true test of their strength is currently being passed with flying colours, this win following the previous weekend’s triumph at Tottenham.
Villa are the first team since Preston in 1937 to not win any of their first five league matches and then win the next four. Next up is a trip to champions Liverpool, losers of four straight.
This win, after Cash had given them a 19th minute lead, owed much to keeping out Erling Haaland.
The Norway international, scorer of 24 goals already for club and country this season, failed to find the net for only the second time this season and the first in two months.
Denied by Emi Martinez in the first half, he then did get the ball over the line in the 90th minute, only to see the effort ruled out by a raised flag.
Haaland has failed to score against Villa since Emery took charge. The latter, often free of emotion at the end of matches, left the pitch wearing a large grin. Haaland had only a grimace.
The most interesting team news involved a player not included in the squad. Harvey Elliott, having played just four minutes in the previous month and none since the international break, found himself the odd man out following Lucas Digne’s return to fitness.
The on loan Liverpool midfielder may now get his chance after Emi Buendia left the pitch in the first half with what appeared a nasty looking injury, the one big blot on Villa’s day.
City were immediately into their stride and the home side, pushed back in the opening 10 minutes, were relieved to see Tijjani Reijnders’ shot fizz just over the bar.
Gradually Villa began to get up with the pace of the game. Fine work from Morgan Rogers in the middle eventually saw the ball worked to Watkins and he was unable to find his team-mate in the middle. Ollie Watkins was then unable to get a shot away after Villa again moved the ball neatly on the edge of the visiting box.
Austin MacPhee was back in the Villa dugout, together with a pair of crutches having missed the previous two games with a leg injury.
The goal owed everything to the set-piece coach’s work. Digne and Buendia played a free-kick short, before the ball was fizzed to Cash 20 yards out. The latter’s first touch was a bit heavy but the second was sublime, a left-footed shot which curled away from Gianluigi Donnarumma and inside the post.
Celebrations should really have been cut short within a couple of minutes but Haaland, played through on goal, sent his finish too close to Martinez and the keeper was quickly down to save.
Buendia was enjoying an impressive game but it ended abruptly when he went down injured. His replacement, Jadon Sancho, was quickly involved in a move which saw John Stones jump in front of John McGinn’s low drive to deflect it wide of the post.
Villa went close again from the corner which arrived to an unmarked Watkins yet his header and follow-up were both blocked on their way towards goal.
City’s two shots on goal were their fewest in a Premier League match since last December. They emerged for the second half with renewed purpose, Phil Foden seeing an effort blocked at close range before Reijnders, just as he had done in the first half, fired off target from outside the box.
Villa’s first corner of the second period almost worked as well as it did in the first. This time McGinn met Cash’s delivery but his well-struck volley was blocked.
Yet City were now starting to exert some serious pressure. A poor defensive header from Cash saw Savinho have two volleys blocked in quick succession, the second turned over the bar by Torres from inside the six-yard box.
Villa still carried a threat and Sancho almost found a way through to double their lead. Matheus Nunes misjudged a lofted pass from Boubacar Kamara but Donnarumma, having made rather a meal of the forward’s first effort, spread himself to block the second.
Emery introduced Ross Barkley off the bench and his first act was to play a through ball which had Watkins racing toward goal, the striker just unable to reach it ahead of Donnarumma.
Defensively, Villa were still having to dig deep. Onana wore a Foden effort in the face as the hosts put everything on the line.
In the 90th minute Haaland thought he had his goal after converting Omar Marmoush’s cross before colliding with the post but a raised flag added to his pain.
Villa (4-2-3-1): Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne (Maatsen 86), Onana, Kamara, McGinn (Barkley 74), Buendia (Sancho 29 (Guessand 74)), Rogers, Watkins (Malen 86) Subs not used: Lindelof, Mings, Bogarde, Bizot (gk).
Man City (4-1-4-1): Donnarumma, Nunes, Dias, Stones (O’Reilly 61), Gvardiol, Reijnders (Cherki 76), Bobb (Doku 61), Foden, Silva (Gonzalez 61), Savinho (Marmoush 84), Haaland Subs not used: Ake, Kovacic, Lewis, Trafford (gk).