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.

Top scorer Andy Cole was also back for the Blues to test a Villa side awash with takeover talk.

David O’Leary’s team needed a winto lift them well clear of the relegation zone, but they were without Juan Pablo Angel, who was not even on the bench as Luke Moore was handed a starting spot.

Man City: James, Mills, Sommeil, Distin, Jordan, Croft, Barton, Ireland, Musampa, Cole, Vassell. Subs: Sibierski, Jihai, Wright-Phillips, Richards, De Vlieger.

Aston Villa: Sorensen, Delaney, Mellberg, Ridgewell, Samuel, Milner, Davis, McCann, Barry, Phillips, Moore. Subs: Taylor, Djemba-Djemba, De la Cruz, Berger, Bakke.

Referee: D Gallagher (Oxfordshire)