Premier League: Man City’s woes continue with 1-2 defeat at Villa Park
Aston Villa secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Manchester City in a gripping Premier League clash at Villa Park.
Raheem Sterling and Joe Hart may have bonded well during their time at Manchester City, but the young winger showed his ruthless side in England training as he scored a belter past the keeper as the Three Lions amped up their preparations for a crucial tie with Slovenia.
It may come as no surprise that Sterling beat Hart, for the 22-year-old has started the season for the Citizens on fire as he has already found the back of the net six times (all competitions) for the Citizens.
And the club on the whole have emerged as the dominant force in the English top-flight as they are topping the league with 19 points from seven games. City have impressed in Europe as well, with two wins from two to top their UEFA Champions League group.
Technically, the Hart and Sterling are club teammates as both are employed by City but the shot-stopper has fallen out of favour with manager Pep Guardiola and has been out on loan for the past two seasons.
Hart spent the last season on loan at Serie A side Torino and joined Premier League team West Ham United for the 2017-18 season in July.
The 30-year-old’s form this season has been patchy, and he has come under pressure to keep his spot as England’s no.1 goalkeeper.
Jack Butland (Stoke City) and Fraser Forster (Southampton) have both been consistently performing for their respective cubs but it remains to be seen whether England Gareth Southgate will pick either of them over Hart, who is vastly experienced at the international level.
Should England beat Slovenia on Thursday night, they will have secured their berth at next year’s World Cup and then Southgate will have a chance to rotate his starting XI for the final qualifier against Lithuania on Sunday.
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