Rodri delivers Arsenal verdict after Man City win over Aston Villa

Manchester City midfielder Rodri believes Sunday’s win over Aston Villa shows things are moving in the right direction for his side.

The Spain international was at his brilliant best against Unai Emery’s men and he opened the scoring inside the opening four minutes with a well-taken header from a Riyad Mahrez corner-kick.

City’s dominance of the first-half brought the reward of a three-goal lead when the half-time whistle was blown as Ilkay Gundogan and Mahrez both added to their lead in the final five minutes before the interval. Ollie Watkins pulled a goal back for Villa after the break but City held firm and ensured they gave themselves the best possible preparation for a title showdown with leaders Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night.

He told Sky Sports: “Today was a game to show that we are in a good mood, in good shape. From the first minute we did a great game, we stayed on the run, we are happy and every game is a cup final for us.

“We always have the feeling at the Etihad that if we can score one or two goals in the first minutes the game is for us. That’s the mood of the team, we go for it from the first minute and even though we can score more goals, we are happy with the performance.”

The win over Villa means City head into the meeting with Arsenal knowing they will top the table come Thursday morning if they come out on top against Mikel Arteta’s side. Rodri challenged his team-mates to put in another hardworking display and prove their are the superior of the two title rivals.

He said: “We know there are still a lot of games to go. I know it’s a big game for us and for them. We know they are the leaders and we want to be there at the end of the season. We have to perform well, we have to show we are better than them.”