PEP WINS A BATTLE OF WILLS

Rousing Royal team-talk can’t save battling Villa

PEP GUARDIOLA might need to ask for a Royal pardon after breaking Aston Villa hearts to make it three Carabao Cup wins in a row.

Villa fan Prince William (inset) gave Dean Smith’s side a pre-match pep talk but it just wasn’t quite enough.

Goals from Sergio Aguero and Rodri ended up proving enough for City but my, oh my, how they had to scrap for it.

There was no shortage of people who gave Villa no chance and were predicting they might take a right hammering.

It’s not hard to see why – only six weeks ago City thrashed them 6-1 at Villa Park with Aguero helping himself to a hat-trick.

But Smith’s men emerged bruised but not battered as they trudged off to rapturous applause from their fans.

They’d given all they could and it just wasn’t quite enough, but ut then again there aren’t too o many sides who can slug it out t with a team holding £331m in n reserve on the bench.

Villa had every right to feel el aggrieved to go in at half-time me a goal down – not necessarily y on chances created, but the fact t that City’s second goal came about extremely dubious circumstances.

It was potentially a killer blow

oin as well, because it put them 2-0 up and left Villa facing defeat full in the face with only half an hour gon gone.

Jack Grealish’s attempted clearance clearly struck Ilkay Gundogan be before it went out but a corner w was awarded.

Villa’s players and Smith played merry hell and how costly that piece of injustice was to prove when Gundogan sw swung the corner across and Rod Rodri powered a header home. Villa had actually started the brighter an and might well have taken the lead with just three minutes gone when Anwar El Ghazi should have done better with a close-range header after Ahmed Elmohamady found him with a deep cross.

But slowly and surely, totally as expected, City began to boss things and it seemed only a matter of time before they eased in front.

Aguero dropped a header onto the bar as a kind of warning shot and in the 20th minute the Argentinian shot City in front after Rodri had found Phil Foden out on the right with a magnificent long ball.

The youngster isn’t the biggest, but he had time and space to head the ball back across goal and there was Aguero to hook his shot home.

Foden went close just afterwards with a strike which curled inches wide of the post and then Raheem Sterling sent a shot just wide himself.

All the warning signs were there and Villa didn’t need any miscarriages of justice at such a cruel time. But it came with Rodri’s goal and Villa had to just swallow it and make sure their heads didn’t go.

Sterling had another go from distance which was blocked by Tyrone Mings as City tried to throw the knockout punch but the underdogs recovered and hit back when Ally Samatta threw himself at an El Ghazi cross and scored with a diving header from six yards.

City had to rely on a cracking save from Claudio Bravo with two minutes left when he pushed a Bjorn Engels header against his right-hand post.

At the other end, Orjan Nyland kept Villa in it with a reflex save to deny Rodri but there was no denying Pep’s men – yet again.