Man City scores late winner to beat Aston Villa 2-1 and boost Champions League hopes

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Pep Guardiola celebrated wildly as Manchester City took a big step toward Champions League qualification with a 2-1 victory over Aston Villa in the Premier League on Tuesday.

With clenched fists, the City manager roared with delight after Matheus Nunes struck deep into stoppage time at the Etihad Stadium.

“I was so happy. I have to admit it,” Guardiola said after a win that could help salvage a troubled season for his once dominant team.

The late winner moved four-time defending league champion City up to third in the standings, with the top five securing a place in European club soccer's top competition.

Nunes fired home from a tight angle in the fourth minute of added time after Jeremy Doku's low cross through the box.

The game had looked destined to end in a draw after Bernardo Silva's first-half goal had been canceled out by a Marcus Rashford penalty.

There is still likely to be a tense battle for the Champions League with a clutch of teams in contention going into the final weeks of the season and just four points separating third to seventh in the standings.

But City’s fate is in its own hands after a troubled campaign that saw its title defense unravel before Christmas and its hopes of winning the Champions League end in the playoffs.

A top-five finish would go some way to ending the season on a high — and Guardiola's celebration was evidence of just how important the win could prove to be.

“We have a lot of pressure for the club to go to the Champions League,” said Guardiola, whose City team won the competition for the first time in 2023.

“If we win the next four games, it will have been so important,” he added.

Victory moved City up to 61 points and above Nottingham Forest in fourth and Newcastle in fifth.

Chelsea is sixth and Villa, with 57 points, is seventh.

England's top flight will be given a bonus fifth Champions League place because of the performances of English teams in Europe this season.

Both City and Villa have played a game more than their top-five rivals. But City knows a perfect record from its remaining four league games would guarantee a place in next season’s Champions League.

It would be the 15th season in a row that City has qualified for the competition and would provide an uplifting finale to a campaign that brought an end to Guardiola's recent dominance of English soccer.

There is likely to be a rebuild in the offseason, with Kevin De Bruyne leaving and Silva and Ilkay Gundogan also in the latter stages of their careers.

But it was Silva who provided the opener for City in the seventh minute from close range after Omar Marmoush's cutback.

Rashford had already hit the post for Villa by that point after bursting into the box seconds after kickoff.

And the on-loan Manchester United forward was on the score sheet in the 18th — equalizing from the penalty spot following a VAR review of Ruben Dias’ foul on Jacob Ramsey in the box.

Defeat was a blow to Villa's hopes of making it back-to-back seasons in the Champions League after returning to the competition for the first time in 41 years this term and advancing to the quarterfinals.

“Of course, today we lost, but there are still matches to play, still points to play (for). We will have chances to get the Champions League,” Villa manager Unai Emery said. “I am happy how we are reacting, how every player is facing the moment we are (in).”

Both City and Villa are also in the semifinals of the FA Cup.

Villa plays Crystal Palace on Saturday, and City plays Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Manchester City's Omar Marmoush in action during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Aston Villa at Etihad stadium in Manchester, England, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola waits for the start of the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Aston Villa at Etihad stadium in Manchester, England, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Manchester City's Bernardo Silva, right, scores his side's opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Aston Villa at Etihad stadium in Manchester, England, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola talks with Manchester City's Jeremy Doku during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Aston Villa at Etihad stadium in Manchester, England, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Aston Villa's Marcus Rashford reacts after missing a scoring chance during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Aston Villa at Etihad stadium in Manchester, England, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Aston Villa's Marcus Rashford in action during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Aston Villa at Etihad stadium in Manchester, England, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Manchester City's Omar Marmoush, right, challenges for the ball with Aston Villa's Matty Cash during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Aston Villa at Etihad stadium in Manchester, England, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Manchester City players celebrate their victory at the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Aston Villa at Etihad stadium in Manchester, England, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Manchester City's Matheus Nunes celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Aston Villa at Etihad stadium in Manchester, England, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Manchester City's Matheus Nunes celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Aston Villa at Etihad stadium in Manchester, England, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola celebrates their side's second goal of the game during a Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Aston Villa, Tuesday, April 22, 2025, at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England. (Martin Rickett/PA via AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

“After months of bargaining, management refused to make meaningful progress on core issues that nurses have been fighting for: safe staffing for patients, healthcare benefits for nurses, and workplace violence protections,” the union said in a statement issued Monday. “Management at the richest hospitals in New York City are threatening to discontinue or radically cut nurses’ health benefits.”

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

“NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job," Montefiore spokesperson Joe Solmonese said Monday after the strike had started. "We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last.”

New York-Presbyterian accused the union of staging a strike to “create disruption,” but said in a statement that it has taken steps to ensure patients receive the care they need.

"We’re ready to keep negotiating a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today’s healthcare environment,” the statement said.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

State Attorney General Letitia James voiced similar support, saying "nurses put their lives on the line every day to keep New Yorkers healthy. They should never be forced to choose between their own safety, their patients’ well-being, and a fair contract.”

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

FILE - A medical worker transports a patient at Mount Sinai Hospital, April 1, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)