Man City gloom deepens with defeat at Villa, flying Forest win again

LONDON : Manchester City have been on some extraordinary runs during four seasons of Premier League domination but the one that continued with a 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa on Saturday is scarcely believable.

Pep Guardiola's free-falling side slipped to a ninth defeat in 12 matches in all competitions as the crisis that has suddenly engulfed City deepened.

Goals either side of halftime by Jhon Duran and Morgan Rogers put Villa in control at Villa Park and Phil Foden's stoppage-time reply was the smallest of consolations for City.

One victory in their last 12 games has seen City exit the League Cup, flirt with elimination from the Champions League and has all but ended any hopes of a fifth successive English title.

A sixth league defeat of the season left City in sixth position on 27 points from 17 games, with Villa jumping above them into fifth spot with 28 points.

Nottingham Forest fans will be pinching themselves as Christmas approaches as a 2-0 victory at Brentford, who were unbeaten at home, put them third with 31 points.

Arsenal could reclaim third place if they avoid defeat at Crystal Palace in the late kickoff.

A hat-trick by Alexander Isak helped Newcastle United to a 4-0 victory at struggling Ipswich Town to lift Eddie Howe's side into seventh in the standings with 26 points.

Brighton and Hove Albion are ninth with 25 points after a 1-1 draw at West Ham United.

City's nightmare before Christmas continued on the shortest day of the year and Guardiola can only hope they have now reached rock bottom and that the gloom will relent soon.

Villa took the lead in the 16th minute as Youri Tielemans threaded a pass to Rogers who cleverly fed Colombian striker Duran to score his 12th goal of the season.

Former City graduate Rogers made