Manchester City 0 Aston Villa 2

Thomas Hitzlsperger, Nolberto Salono, Paul Merson, David Ginola and Dwight Yorke... Villa have had their fair share of free-kick specialists in recent seasons but, incredibly, had gone two and a half years without scoring from a direct hit before Shaun Maloney's late points-clincher.

Not since Solano's free kick against Liverpool in December 2004, in a 1-1 draw at Villa Park, had Villa fans witnessed anything like Maloney's precision shot from 25 yards which nestled into the net and left Swedish goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson clutching at thin air.

It was nothing less than Martin O'Neill's side deserved after they shaded a contest between two sides who cannot buy a win on home soil.

City are left staring at the nightmare scenario of setting a footballing first — the first club to score only ten league goals at home in a season.

After 18 home matches Stuart Pearce's side have only a home match against Manchester United on Saturday to beat a record shared by Woolwich Arsenal, who scored 11 home league goals in 19 matches in 1912-13. and Sunderland, who also scored 11 in 19 in 2002-03 — both were relegated.

Given that scenario, the rumoured arrival of Sam Allardyce to replace Pearce in the manager's chair, following his resignation from Bolton Wanderers yesterday, will come as little surprise to City supporters.

City last scored a home league goal in a 2-1 win over Everton on New Year's Day when Giorgios Samaras converted a 72nd-minute penalty. Since then they have failed to score at home in seven successive league matches.

Despite being gifted a golden chance when Thomas Sorensen produced a third howler in successive matches when he mauled Vassell to the deck to give away a penalty, City came nowhere near to breaking their duck. Joey Barton blazed the spot kick over the bar.

Villa had thrown away too many points at Villa Park since November to have any real chance of reaching the top seven but a top-half finish is well within reach.

That would be remarkable in itself after the precarious position they were in before Gabriel Agbonlahor's late leveller at Everton only four weeks ago.

Villa's first win after four defeats at this venue was as much down to Gareth Barry's inspirational form in the centre of midfield as anything. In front of watching England coach Steve McClaren, Barry put Barton in the shade with a combination of tigerish physical play and large range of passing.

Villa were thus worthy of the win which stretched their recent run to seven matches unbeaten and continued their fine run away after wins at Blackburn and Middlesbrough.

For City's supporters it was too much, with perhaps as much as half the stadium empty long before Mark Halsey formally brought the match to a close.

Had Alan Ball not passed away, and there had not been a minute's applause, they would have had nothing to clap all afternoon.

With five goals in five matches against Villa, Vassell fluffed his shot and squandered an early chance to put City ahead when he rushed his effort and Sorensen saved.

Craig Gardner was not too far away with a well-struck half-volley from outside the area, then Ashley Young engineered space for a cross from the left with teasing run at Nedum Onuoha and John Carew duly headed home his third goal since joining Villa from Lyon.

It should have been 2-0 when a quickly-taken free kick by Barry fell on to Agbonlahor's head but the young striker sent his effort wide.

Sorensen saved from Barton, diving to his left, then the Villa goalkeeper lost his marbles with an ugly aerial challenge which sent Vassell tumbling. Barton, though, cleared the bar with a plainly awful effort and Villa survived.

Stephen Ireland's cross presented the much-derided Samaras with a free header but the Greek striker directed it wide of the right-hand post

Villa survived another let-off when Dietmar Hamann's free kick was headed over the bar by Sylvain Distin.

Wilfred Bouma blazed poorly over following a well-worked Villa move.

But City pressed again and were kicking themselves for not equalising when Emile Mpenza raced clear following Olof Mellberg's rare slip, only for Sorensen to atone for his earlier error with a well-timed block with his chest after racing off his line.

Scorers: Carew 24, Maloney 75.

MANCHESTER CITY (4-3-3): Isaksson; Onuoha (Jihai 46), Dunne, Distin, Ball; Hamann (Sinclair 68), Barton, Ireland; Vassell, Samaras, Mpenza. Subs: Weaver (gk), Dabo, Trabelsi.
ASTON VILLA (4-4-2): Sorensen; Bardsley, Mellberg, Laursen, Bouma; Gardner, Petrov, Barry, Young; Carew (Maloney 71), Agbonlahor (Moore 86). Subs: Taylor (gk), Cahill, Berger.
Referee: Mark Halsey (Lancashire).
Booking: Manchester City - Hamann (foul)
Attendance: 40,799.