Pep Guardiola’s emotional goodbye to Manchester City ended in disappointment after Aston Villa defeated the Premier League champions 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium.
The match marked Guardiola’s final game in charge of City after the Spaniard recently announced he would leave the club following a historic 10-year spell.
Fans gave the 55-year-old a heroic send-off before kick-off, unveiling giant banners and tributes celebrating his incredible legacy at the club.
During his decade in Manchester, Guardiola transformed City into one of Europe’s most dominant teams, winning six Premier League titles and the club’s first-ever Champions League trophy among 20 major honours.
Club legends Bernardo Silva and John Stones were also honoured in what became an emotional afternoon at the Etihad.
Silva was visibly emotional as he captained City for the final time.
Manchester City took the lead through Antoine Semenyo, but Aston Villa responded strongly in the second half.
England striker Ollie Watkins scored twice to complete the comeback and hand Villa a memorable victory.
Watkins first punished a defensive mistake from John Stones before later racing through to score his second goal of the afternoon.
The emotional atmosphere intensified as both Silva and Stones received guard-of-honour moments after being substituted.
City thought they had rescued a late draw after Phil Foden found the net, but VAR controversially ruled the goal offside.
Despite the defeat, Guardiola leaves Manchester City as one of the greatest managers in football history after reshaping the club into a global powerhouse.
Villa’s victory also secured a fourth-place finish ahead of Liverpool following their Europa League triumph earlier in the week.
