First start for Croft

Twenty-year-old Lee Croft was handed his first Premiership start by Stuart Pearce as Manchester City sought the win over Aston Villa which would see them jump into the top four.

With Claudio Reyna missing after picking up knee and ankle injuries in last weekend’s defeat at Arsenal, Pearce opted to move Joey Barton into central midfield alongside Stephen Ireland, allowing Croft to fill the vacant right-sided role.