Better than Jackson and Manzambi, 45-touch Aston Villa player was 'flawless' vs Man City

Aston Villa's early fears in the 2026-27 campaign seem a lifetime ago after claiming a 2-1 win over Manchester City at Villa Park.

Nicolas Jackson grabbed a brace against the Premier League leaders, with Erling Haaland's header not enough to salvage a point on Saturday, 24 October.

It was just as disappointing for the Citizens as it was incredible for the Villans, and a result that saw the home side move up to sixth in the table.

Unai Emery will be incredibly proud of the performance, probably the team's best one of the season so far, but there were some standout displays.

Of course, Jackson earned the spotlight at Villa Park, and Johan Manzambi's constant energy alonside John McGinn helped to push them over the line.

But one other player deserved all the plaudits, especially when leading up to the game, everyone thought he would struggle against City's attack.

Matty Cash deserves 'flawless' tag vs Man City

That player was Matty Cash, who Owen Hargreaves dubbed "flawless" during his 90 minutes up against the dribbling demon [BBC Sport via TNT Sport], Jeremy Doku.

The Villa Park faithful were outraged when the Poland international was cautioned for a foul on the Belgian winger, and rightly so.

Cash kept his direct opposition quiet for most of the game. Had it not been for Jackson, he would have been crowned as Villa's best player.

In 90 minutes, Cash took 45 touches, created a chance, made eight (yes, eight) tackles, two blocks, two clearances and two recoveries, and entered into 18 duels [FotMob].

Premier League defenders often melt away just at the idea of coming up against Doku, but he took the challenge in his stride and came out the other side as the winner.

Aston Villa excitement to increase at Villa Park

As well as those who started the game, Emery made some key substitutions against the Citizens that helped his team over the line.

Ibrahim Mbaye grabbed the assist for Jackson's second goal, needing less than 60 seconds to make such a big impact at Villa Park.

Emi Buendia, Ross Barkley and Brian Madjo all added some much-needed energy in the closing stages, with two of them even picking up cautions.

It was just an incredible all-round display from the Villans, one that shot them all the way up to sixth in the table before the rest of the weekend's fixtures.