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.
Veteran midfielder Gareth Barry broke former Manchester United star Ryan Giggs’ English Premier League (EPL) appearance record when he played in West Bromwich Albion’s 0-2 loss to capital football club Arsenal here.
The 36-year-old was on Monday made West Brom captain in honour of his 633rd EPL match, one more than Giggs, who played all his career in Manchester United, reports Xinhua news agency.
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The match was Barry’s 601st start in the EPL, which is also a record.
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“It’s obviously a nice moment,” Barry said. “I’m very proud to reach this number but like anything I try to put it to the back of my mind and concentrate on the game of football.
Barry made his debut for Aston Villa at the age of 17 on May 2, 1998, when they beat Sheffield Wednesday 3-1.
He made 365 appearances for Villa before playing 132 matches in the top flight for Manchester City, with whom he won the title in 2012.
He featured 131 times for Everton and has played four games for West Brom since joining the club this summer.
During Monday’s match at the Emirates Stadium, French centre forward Alexandre Lacazette’s goals in the 20th and 67th minutes gave Arsenal a 2-0 win.
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