Steven Gerrard can take solace in the fact that he will not be the first managerial casualty of the Premier League season – that unwanted honour belongs to Scott Parker – but the 42-year-old has admitted that he is fearing for his future in the Villa hotseat.
How the Lions were not blown out of the water by Arsenal in the first half of Wednesday’s contest remains a mystery, with only Gabriel Jesus’s goal separating the two sides at the midway point,
and Villa threatened to end the Gunners’ perfect start through Douglas Luiz’s direct corner goal before Gabriel qMartinelli hit back less than three minutes later.
While Villa demonstrated a greater sense of urgency in the second 45 minutes, the scoreline certainly flattered Gerrard’s men, who have now suffered three straight Premier League defeats – all to London clubs – and can only boast three points from a possible 15 so far.
Such dismal fortunes leave the Lions below the dotted line in 19th, and while there is still a lot of football to be played in the coming months, the early signs of discontent can be heard across the West Midlands as Gerrard desperately tries to find the formula to best the champions.
Now without a clean sheet in 10 Premier League matches dating back to April’s 2-0 victory over Norwich City, Villa’s defensive frailties could certainly be exposed by City’s in-form marksman Erling Braut Haaland, whose name has already been etched into the history books.
Newly-promoted teams visiting the Etihad Stadium is almost always a recipe for success for Pep Guardiola’s side, whose towering talisman Haaland once again saw very little of the ball but ended up taking it home with him after a second successive hat-trick.
The 22-year-old had three strikes to his name by the 38-minute mark on Wednesday night – setting a new recordfor the most goals scored in a player’s opening five Premier League games
with nine – before fellow new signing Julian Alvarez bagged a brace on his first Premier League start, and there was time for Joao Cancelo to get in on the act with a cracking finish.
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With Liverpool faltering in the early stages of the new season, only Guardiola’s former student Arteta has managed to glean more points with his side in their opening five games, and City’s 13 points sees them sit two behind the table-topping Gunners, who are not in action until Sunday against Manchester United.
The Citizens have continued their theme of scoring at least twice in a Premier League match to rack up a league-leading 19 in total so far this term, and not since March’s goalless draw at Crystal Palace have City not found the back of the net at least twice in the top flight – a remarkable streak of 14 matches.
Now aiming to make it 18 games unbeaten in the Premier League, Man City could only win 2-1 at Villa Park last term before the final-day drama that unfolded at the Etihad, as Gerrard’s side failed to hang on to a 2-0 lead and ultimately lost 3-2 before the title celebrations commenced.
