Stones shocker
After such a good season, John Stones has slid back into bad habits at just the wrong time for Manchester City.
He was at fault for Villa's early goal and then put his team up against it with a wild, needless challenge which rightfully brought him a red card.
And after being at fault for Poland's goal in the recent international fixture, memories of harder times for club and country will be nagging at him.
The dismissal means suspension, and that means Aymeric Laporte will move back alongside Ruben Dias for Sunday's Carabao Cup final, the partnership which seemed a cert at the start of the campaign.
Laporte was possibly the only player who emerged from the Chelsea defeat with credit, and he could well secure his place.
Defensive worry
With Gareth Bale moving back into form, and Kylian Mbappe terrorising Champions League defences, City picked the wrong time to expose a defensive weak point.
Dortmund, Chelsea and now Villa have all got joy with passes down the side of the Blues’ centre backs, with both Ruben Dias and John Stones being exposed.
Spurs and PSG will have both taken note ahead of meeting them in huge games in the next seven days.
Silva lining
The absence of De Bruyne these days is simply a chance for one of the others to take centre stage for City.
Ilkay Gundogan did it in January, but Bernardo Silva awakened memories of his breathtaking form in the 2018-19 title season when he took on the injured De Bruyne's mantle and was player of the season.
He came up with the two assists, worked his socks off and pressed Villa hard throughout.
Single figures
Going into the game, City needed 11 points from six games, the same - worryingly for nervous Blues - as Manchester United needed in 2012, when they blew it .
But United began the last six games of that run-in with a defeat at Wigan, while City responded perfectly with a victory.
Eight points from five games has a better feel to it, psychologically as well as mathematically.
