Remi Garde pleased with debut point

It will be a tough mission even if we have one more point today.

With six changes, which included dropping Jack Grealish and Joleon Lescott, Garde stamped his authority on Villa and they reacted well.

Navas, Bony’s replacement, was enjoying himself on the City right, exploiting the space that opened up behind Jordan Amavi, who impressed going forward but never looks convincing without the ball.

Villa will be bouncing to welcome their new manager Garde following the unceremonious exit of Tim Sherwood, whose team sunk to the bottom of the leaguewith only four points from a possible 33.

However, despite enjoying the majority of the possession in the first 15 minutes, Villa were unable to create any chances of note.

Brad Guzan put in another Jekyll and Hyde performance.

Sergio Aguero is expected to rejoin the squad next week after a similar problem – and it can not come soon enough for Manuel -Pellegrini. Fabian Delph and Gael Clichy returned from injuries to claim places on the substitutes’ bench.

David Silva has returned to training but will not be fit for Sunday afternoon’s Villa Park visit., while the same applies to Samir Nasri.

The home supporters were given a late scare as City forced a corner in stoppage time, but the crossbar denied Vincent Kompany with the header, before Fabian Delph drilled the ball just wide of the right post on the rebound.

Garde still has lots to do and got away with Manchester City lacking sharpness in front of goal but either way the hosts come away with a valuable point.

“Tottenham bossed the first half”, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger told Sky Sports.

Remi Garde will be in the dugout at Villa Park for the first time since being handed the job of reviving the former European champions, having observed from the stands as they were beaten 3-1 by Tottenham Hotspur on Monday. To get a clean sheet against such a good team means we should be more confident next time.

“You need a bit of luck, but to be lucky you also have to work hard and we have been doing that”.

City boss Manuel Pellegrini lost the services of Wilfried Bony to a hamstring injury and then watched in frustration as his team failed to make their second-half domination count in a match where Villa ended a dismal run of seven successive defeats.

“Of course we’re frustrated”, said Pellegrini. These things happen in football and we were unlucky not to score in the three or four options [chances] that we had – that happens in football.

“I was very happy with the way we played, especially in the second half with good pressing and movement”.