Manchester City secured a crucial 2-1 victory over Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night, a significant win in their pursuit of a Champions League spot.

The hosts took the lead in the seventh minute through Bernardo Silva’s strike, assisted by Omar Marmoush. However, Villa equalized 11 minutes later after Ruben Dias fouled Jacob Ramsey, resulting in a penalty converted by Marcus Rashford.

The match seemed destined for a draw until the 94th minute when Jérémy Doku set up Matheus Nunes, who scored the winning goal with a precise finish. Guardiola celebrated wildly on the sidelines, unable to contain his emotions—a reaction that highlighted the importance of the victory.

Gary Neville didn’t miss Guardiola’s intense celebration. He noted that it had been “a very long time” since Guardiola had shown such joy. Neville said:“Look at Pep on the sidelines. It’s been a very, very long time since he celebrated like this. This shows how heavy this season has been for Manchester City, especially for him. Champions League qualification is crucial for any team, but even more so for Pep and City. They need to rebuild in the summer, and failing to qualify would make their task much harder.”

The win lifted City to third place in the Premier League table. Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United, who defeated Tottenham earlier, occupy fourth and fifth place, respectively. Meanwhile, Aston Villa sit seventh, two points behind Newcastle, with Chelsea in sixth.