Nicolas Jackson Scores Twice as Aston Villa End Manchester City's Perfect Start

Nicolas Jackson scored twice as Aston Villa ended Manchester City's perfect start to the Premier League season on Saturday 24 October. Before this match, City had won every game they had played, and Villa's win stopped that run.

Villa's striker had plenty to celebrate, but the game was far from one-sided. City had their chances, and a poor error from defender Marc Guehi helped Villa take the lead. Erling Haaland then rose high to head City level with a towering header. Villa still came out on top, and BBC Sport gave Jackson a 9 out of 10 in its player ratings, the highest mark of the day for the Villa side.

Goalkeeper Zion Suzuki also earned a lot of credit. He made three important saves to stop Iliman Ndiaye, Rayan Cherki and Josko Gvardiol, and BBC gave him a 7. Ndiaye was City's liveliest player on the night, and he earned an 8 for his efforts.

Jackson's form has been building for weeks. In mid-October he scored twice in eight minutes against Fenerbahce in the Champions League, the European competition that brings together top clubs from across the continent. That gave him four goals in his last three games at the time. Villa have now won all three of their Champions League matches this season, beating Viking 3-1 in their most recent game.

Getting to this point has not been easy for Villa. They failed to score in their first three league games of the season, and only four teams had scored fewer goals than them in their first seven matches before this one. Their work in the Premier League had been slow to produce chances, too. Earlier this month, they had the fewest shots and shots on target in the division.

Things have changed quickly since then. Villa won 1-0 against Newcastle United, with a goal from Johan Manzambi, to stretch their unbeaten run to five games. Their manager, Unai Emery, has also now reached 100 Premier League wins, a landmark for a coach who has spent years in the top flight of English football.

For Villa fans, the result is a reminder of how quickly a season can turn. For City, a first defeat of the campaign arrives after a fast start, and the team will be looking to bounce back. Football has a habit of rewarding the team that refuses to panic, and Villa have spent the last few weeks proving they can keep believing even when the goals have been hard to find.