Man City scores late winner to beat Aston Villa 2-1 and boost Champions League hopes

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Matheus Nunes scored in stoppage time as Manchester City took a big step toward Champions League qualification with a 2-1 victory over Aston Villa in the Premier League on Tuesday.

The late winner at the Etihad Stadium moved four-time defending league champion up to third in the standings, with the top five securing a place in European club soccer's top competition next season.

Nunes fired home from a tight angle in the fourth minute of added time after Jeremy Doku's low cross.

The game had looked destined to end in a draw after Bernardo Silva's first-half goal had been canceled out by a Marcus Rashford penalty.

There is still likely to be a tense battle for the Champions League with a clutch of teams in contention going into the final weeks of the season and just four points separating third to seventh in the standings.

But City’s fate is in its own hands after a troubled campaign that saw its title defense unravel before Christmas and its hopes of winning the Champions League end in the playoffs.

A top-five finish would go some way to salvaging the season, and manager Pep Guardiola celebrated wildly on the sideline after Nunes’ shot hit the back of the net.

Victory moved City up to 61 points and above Nottingham Forest in fourth and Newcastle in fifth.

Chelsea is sixth and Villa, with 57 points, is seventh.

Both City and Villa have played a game more than their top-five rivals. But City knows a perfect record from its remaining four league games would guarantee a place in next season’s Champions League.

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James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer