Game #4264
Sunday, 18 April 1993
Attendance: 33,108
Won
Premier League
2nd (-)
Manchester City
Last 5: 🟥 🟩 🟨 🟩 🟩
Villa Park
Villa, trailing at half time, are subject to the riot act at half time and hit three in the second half to keep the title race alive into the final three games of the campaign with Manchester United one point ahead and on a superior goal difference. Villa face moneybags Blackburn next as United have relegation threatened Palace.
Aston Villa
3-1
Manchester City
Assist(s) | Tony Daley | 47' | Steve Staunton | 89’ |
KEY MAN
Dean Saunders, crucified.
RELATED MATCHES
MATCH TIMELINE
🥅 | 34’ Goal, 0-1, (Manchester City), Niall Quinn
🕒 | HT Aston Villa 0-1 Manchester City
⚽ | 47’ Goal, 1-1, Dean Saunders, Assist by Tony Daley
⚽ | 67’ Goal, 2-1, Garry Parker (pen)
🔁 | 76’ Sub off, Garry Parker, Sub on, Bryan Small
⚽ | 89’ Goal, 3-1, Ray Houghton, Assist by Steve Staunton
🕒 | FT Aston Villa 3-1 Manchester City
ON THIS DAY
Villa stormed to victory after conceding the first goal however the game was most noticeable for a bizarre banner in the away end then positioned in the bottom tier of the North Stand.
The Manchester City fans - long time strangers to even moderate success - had taken time to produce a large banner supporting Villa’s title run against their local revivals and signed it from the “City of Manchester”.
Villa won the game so presumably both sets of fans left happy but Villa’s brave fight had all but come to the end and these would prove to be the last points the club would earn this season.
Aston Villa
European Cup / Champions League: 🏆
League Champions: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆🏆
FA Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 🏆🏆
League Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆
Last Trophy: 1981-82
Manchester City
European Cup / Champions League: ❌
UEFA Cup Winners Cup: 🏆
League Champions: 🏆🏆
FA Cup Winners: 🏆🏆🏆🏆
League Cup Winners: 🏆🏆
Last Trophy: 1975-76
FIXTURE HISTORY
Previous 5 vs. Manchester City: 🟥 🟥 🟩 🟥 🟨
FIXTURE DETAILS
Season | 1992-93 |
Matchday | #48 |
League Match | #39 |
Manager Game | #99 |
Sunday, 18 April 1993
MATCH SUMMARY
Manager: Ron Atkinson | 🏴 | Liverpool, 1991-1994
Referee: Philip Don | 🏴 | Middlesex, 1986–1995
Kick off: 1.30pm
HT Score: 🟥 0-1
FT Score: 🟩 3-1
FT Result: 🟩 Won
Last 5: 🟥 🟩 🟨 🟩 🟩
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Philip Don | 🏴 | Middlesex, 1986–1995
Previous 5: 🟩 🟨 🟥 🟩 🟩
Last Match: 🟩 28 October 1992, League Cup, Villa 1-0 Manchester United, Villa Park.
Incidents: None
CARDS
Villa
None
Manchester City
None
TEAM NEWS
Shaun Teale drops out as Garry Parker returns in the only change from the side that beat Arsenal last time out.
TEAM STATS
Starting XI Average Age | 26.84 |
Oldest Player |
CB Paul McGrath | 🇮🇪 | 33.39 |
Youngest Player |
GK Mark Bosnich | 🇦🇺 | 21.28 |
MANAGER
Ron Atkinson | 🏴 |
MANAGER
Peter Reid | 🏴 |
Aston Villa
GK Mark Bosnich | 🇦🇺 |
RB Neil Cox | 🏴 |
RB Earl Barrett | 🏴 |
CB Paul McGrath | 🇮🇪 |
LB Steve Staunton | 🇮🇪 | 🔥 |
M Ray Houghton | 🇮🇪 | ⚽ |
M Garry Parker | 🏴 | ⚽ | 🔁 |
M Kevin Richardson | 🏴 |
W Tony Daley | 🏴 | 🔥 |
CF Dean Saunders | 🏴 | ⚽ |
CF Dalian Atkinson | 🏴 |
Manchester City
GK Tony Coton | 🏴 |
LB Terry Phelan | 🇮🇪 |
CB Keith Curle | 🏴 |
CB Michel Vonk | 🇳🇱 |
RB Ray Ranson | 🏴 |
M Peter Reid | 🏴 |
M Fitzroy Simpson | 🇯🇲 |
M Garry Flitcroft | 🏴 |
W David White | 🏴 |
W Rick Holden | 🏴 | 🔁 |
CF Niall Quinn | 🇮🇪 | ⚽ |
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 LB Bryan Small | 🏴 | for M Garry Parker | 🏴 | 76’ |
SUBSTITUTES
🔁 | W Rick Holden | 🏴 | (CB David Brightwell | 🏴 |)
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
GK Nigel Spink | 🏴 |
CF Dwight Yorke | 🇹🇹 |
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
GK Martyn Margetson | 🏴 |
M Kare Ingebrigtsen | 🇳🇴 |
SQUAD STATS
1st XI:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 7/11
Squad:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 9/14
MATCHDAY SQUAD
SQUAD STATS
1st XI:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 8/11
Squad:
Home Nation 🏴 🏴 🏴 🇬🇧 : 9/14
MATCHDAY SQUAD
UNAVAILABLE
Not recorded
UNAVAILABLE
Not Recorded
Player Abbreviations:
GK : Goalkeeper
LB, RB, FB : Left Back, Right Back, Full Back
CB, D : Centre Back, Defender
M, W : Midfielder. Winger
F, CF : Forward, Centre Forward
🟢 : Debut 🔴 : Final Game
Symbols:
⚽ | Goal
🔥 | Assist
🔁 | Substitution
🟨 | Booking
🟥 | Sending off
🆘 | Poor refereeing performance
DEBUT APPEARANCES
FINAL APPEARANCES
MATCH STATS
Not recorded
TABLE
PROGRAMME



MATCHDAY QUOTES
"We are nuisances aren't we?
"After we drew at home to Coventry last week everybody was saying that was it then we went and won at Arsenal.
"After United beat Chelsea they were saying the same again.
“But we keep clinging on in there.
"We showed great character and great commitment. We kept on battling and straining every last sinew.
“For a team of so-called fairies and fanny merchants, we don't half show some determination"
Ron Atkinson.
*Irish Independent*
Monday, 19 April 1993
`GOOD LUCK Villa from the City of Manchester' read a banner unfurled by visiting supporters at Villa Park yesterday.
But any suggestions that Peter Reid's team would lie down to assist Manchester United's Premier League championship rivals were seriously misplaced.
At the halfway stage of a tense encounter, the gripping title race looked set to end prematurely.
Aston Villa, starting the day four points adrift, were trailing an inspired City team through a stunning Niall Quinn header and did not look capable of restoring the gap at the top of the table to a single point.
Dean Saunders, the Villa striker who, within three minutes of the restart had ended his personal goal famine after 1,095 minutes, revealed afterwards that manager Ron Atkinson had "crucified" the team in the dressing room.
That justifiable verbal assault had the desired effect as Villa raised their game and a worried home crowd were transformed into a joyful throng by the time Ray Houghton completed their recovery with a superbly taken third goal a minute from the end.
Delighted Villa boss Atkinson quipped afterwards: "We are nuisances aren't we?
"After we drew at home to Coventry last week everybody was saying that was it then we went and won at Arsenal.
"After United beat Chelsea they were saying the same again. but we keep clinging on in there.
"We showed great character and great commitment. We kept on battling and straining every last sinew."