Tensions boiled over just before the half-time as Man City trailed Aston Villa 1-0, with Jack Grealish involved in an altercation with Emi Martinez.
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Wind-up merchant Martinez bookedGrealish fumingAltercation spills into tunnelFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Things kicked off after Martinez charged in and shoved the England star on the brink of half-time, with Villa's goalkeeper receiving a yellow card from referee Peter Bankes. That wasn't the end of it though, with the pair's skirmish continuing as they walked off the pitch and into the tunnel.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportWHAT JOURNALIST SIMON BAJKOWSKI SAID
Manchester Evening News journalist Simon Bajkowski explained the altercation on X, saying: "Bit of aggro at HT. Grealish complains to ref, Martinez charges in and pushes Grealish, Haaland pushes Martinez, ref gets his yellow out, Martinez and Grealish still at it down the tunnel. Be nice if City had channelled some of that aggression into the football."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
City's dire run of form is clearly affecting the players mentally, and Grealish's furious reaction to Martinez's antics is just the latest example of tensions boiling over. A loss at Villa would be City's ninth in 12 matches – a shocking downturn in form for the champions that helps explain why they're getting rattled so easily.
Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR GREALISH?
It's never an easy day out when Grealish plays against his boyhood club. Villa fans showered the 29-year-old with boos and jeers from the first kick of the game, and given City's recent results it'll be harder than ever for the winger to block out the noise from the stands. But he'll need to do so if he wants to help Guardiola turn around this current slump.
