Maresca says Man City didn't deserve to lose as Jackson's double sinks them at Villa
- Nicolas Jackson scored twice as Aston Villa beat Manchester City 2-1 at Villa Park on Saturday.
- It was City's first Premier League defeat of the season, with both goals coming from defensive errors.
- Manager Enzo Maresca said his side created enough chances to win and called both goals avoidable.
Manchester City suffered their first Premier League defeat of the season on Saturday, going down 2-1 at Aston Villa, and manager Enzo Maresca insists his side did not deserve to lose.
Nicolas Jackson scored both Villa goals at Villa Park. He opened the scoring in the seventh minute after pouncing on a poor first touch from Marc Guehi, driving towards goal and finishing confidently.
Erling Haaland equalised shortly after half-time, but Jackson restored Villa's lead on the hour, turning in a cross from Ibrahim Mbaye.
Maresca: both goals were avoidable
Speaking to TNT Sports, Maresca said the overall performance pleased him even though the result did not.
"Performance overall was good,"
he said, pointing to the number of chances City created. He added that his team spent most of the game in Villa's box but needed to be more clinical and cut out the mistakes that led to both goals.
Asked whether the goals could have been prevented, Maresca was direct.
"Absolutely, both,"
he said, adding that sometimes a team also needs a little luck in those moments.
He refused to accept that the better side lost.
"I don't think we deserved to lose today, but we lost,"
he said, noting there are things his players can still do better.
The result deepens City's poor record at Villa Park. According to the reports, City have won just one of their last five meetings with Villa and have lost each of their last five visits to the ground, with their last win there coming in 2021.
What happens next
City now face a quick turnaround, hosting Brighton on Wednesday. Brighton sit third in the table with just one defeat from their opening seven games, and Maresca expects a tough test.
"They are doing a fantastic job,"
he said, stressing that his side must recover and prepare for the midweek game.
For Nigerian fans who follow the Premier League closely, the weekend result tightens the title race early in the season and puts pressure on City to respond quickly.
