Manchester City fell to a 1-0 defeat against Aston Villa as they dropped further behind Premier League leaders Arsenal. And one player's performance on Sunday afternoon will likely have infuriated Pep Guardiola.
Arsenal's 1-0 win against Crystal Palace meant that the Cityzens had to match the result just to stay three points behind their title rivals. But they were dealt an early blow by their hosts, as Matty Cash's strike 19 minutes into the game gave Villa the lead.
Despite Erling Haaland, Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva all starting the match, City were unable to find a way through. The former had an opportunity to equalise shortly after Cash's goal and also had a late goal ruled out for offside, as their nine-game unbeaten end came to an end.
Savinho Uninspiring Against Villa
Manchester City's Savinho
Premier League - Aston Villa v Manchester City - Villa Park, Birmingham, Britain - October 26, 2025 Manchester City's Savinho reacts REUTERS/Hannah Mckay
Frustration was palpable during and after the match among City supporters, with much of that ire directed at winger Savinho. While the team struggled as a unit, it was noticeable how off the pace the Brazilian was.
The 21-year-old was wasteful with his passing and didn't create anything of real note for his teammates, failing to complete any of his five crosses during the match. And while he saw a volley cleared off the line by Pau Torres, he also didn't provide much threat in front of goal.
Savinho Statistics from Aston Villa 1-0 Man City
Touches
Expected Goals
Total Shots (On Target)
Big Chances Missed
Expected Assists
Key Passes
Passing Accuracy
Crosses (Accurate)
Possession Lost
That has largely been indicative of his performances so far in 2025/26. Savinho has not managed to score since the Premier League kicked off in August and his only assist to date came in City's 2-0 win against Everton. To say he's been lacklustre is an understatement and those performances are under an even more intense microscope considering that the club handed him a new contract after refusing to sell him to Tottenham in the summer.
His latest disappointing performance, consequently, has seen fans question the decision not to sell him. "I’m in genuine disbelief there are City fans out there who didn’t want £70m for Savinho," one supporter wrote on social media, which was echoed by another fan: "Rejecting that 70 million from Savinho is the worst decision ever."
While others chose not to criticise the club for keeping him, they were still just as critical of the Brazilian's performance against Villa. "Nah I actually can’t believe what I’m watching from Savinho is real," one wrote, while another added, "No fight no desire no creativity. No combinations. Less than bang average. Savinho utterly awful."
With the likes of Jeremy Doku, Omar Marmoush and Rayan Cherki all on the bench, Guardiola has plenty of attacking options to choose from. On the basis of his performance on Sunday, Savinho is likely to make way for one of them — and he'll need to prove why he deserves to start in games moving forward.