Aston Villa 0-0 Manchester City: Remi Garde’s resolute Villans hold league leaders

Remi Garde made a positive start to his Aston Villa tenure after his side produced a stoic defensive display to neutralise a toothless Manchester City at Villa Park.

The Premier League leaders were reduced to half chances throughout, with Brad Guzan’s reaction save from Raheem Sterling after the break their first opening.

Kevin De Bruyne was wasteful and Fernando headed against the crossbar in injury time but City, who moved a point clear of Arsenal and Leicester at the summit for the time being, never truly worried Garde and the hosts.

The former Lyon manager took the opportunity to reinstate four of the French-based players recruited over the summer who had been reduced to bit-part roles in recent weeks, with Jordan Amavi particularly impressing at left-back.

After a largely non-eventful first half which, aside from a pitiful Sterling dive when looking for a penalty, passed by without any incident, Guzan pulled off a brilliant save to deny the Englishman.

Sterling found himself completely unmarked at the back post but his header was instinctively saved by the American from point-blank range.

While Villa were offering nothing in an attacking sense they were defending stoutly, although Garde’s side were fortunate when De Bruyne inexplicably tried to flick home Jesus Navas’s low cross when a simple tap in was required.

Substitute Leandro Bacuna provided a rare burst of imagination for the hosts but his run into the box was snuffled by Joe Hart.

Fabian Delph was then introduced to become the pantomime villain after his dramatic transfer U-turn in the summer which saw him leave Villa for City, with the England midfielder greeted with inflatable snakes by sections of the home crowd.

Rudy Gestede, a late substitute for Jordan Ayew, then flicked a Villa corner onto the roof of Hart’s net before Fernando rattled the home crossbar in stoppage time to leave City without a win in three away league games.