Substitute Sergio Aguero struck deep into stoppage time to give Manchester City a crucial victory over Villarreal in the Champions League.

The Blues were behind after just four minutes when, after Nigel de Jong had been caught in possession, Ruben Cani prodded home.

City battled back well and equalised when Carlos Marchena diverted Aleks Kolarov's cross into his own net just before the break.

The second half was evenly contested, but Aguero pounced in the dying seconds to give City new hope in Group A.

Gift

By gifting the Spanish visitors an early goal, City gave them some hope to cling to, and they almost managed it.

On a typical Manchester night, with the rain coming down in sheets, it was a very untypical City that conceded the first goal just four minutes in.

David Silva, lauded as one of the best players on the planet in the build-up to this game, and with plenty of justification, dinked a slack pass towards Nigel de Jong. The Dutchman, noted for his ferocious tackling, got caught in possession by his fellow Dutchman Jonathan de Guzman.

He fed former United man Giuseppe Rossi and when Joe Hart could not hold his skidding shot, Cani darted in to snap up the rebound.

As well as the two uncharacteristic errors, the fact that the Villarreal goalscorer had been the first to react to a shot coming back off the keeper was horribly reminiscent of that dreadful night in Munich last month, when it happened twice.

City needed some inspiration, but with de Jong looking rusty, Silva in a low gear, Edin Dzeko not at all incisive, and Samir Nasri anonymous, it was hard to see from where it would come.

Kolarov was the Blues’ best attacking option, raiding down the left and firing in crosses and shots, not least a free-kick which almost caught keeper Diego Lopez napping.

But Villarreal had something to hold on to, and City were finding it tough to break them down.

At moments like this, it is the manager who needs to find the inspiration, and that is precisely what happened.

There were a few non-plussed faces in the crowd, and on the City bench, when Gareth Barry was called on to replace Adam Johnson who, truth be told, had been one of City’s more lively attackers on the night.

Change

It was six minutes before half-time and Johnson, who has been frustrated by his occasional lack of opportunity more than once, could barely hide his upset.

After the shows of defiance and petulance by Carlos Tevez and Dzeko in the Allianz Arena, Mancini had vowed to clamp down on any further signs of indiscipline.

Johnson stayed on the right side of that, shaking his head in exasperation without questioning the manager’s decision.

Not only that, Mancini was fully and fruitfully justified in those final six minutes of the half.

With Barry slotting in alongside de Jong, Yaya was released to push forward, and the Yellow Submarines’ defence could not live with him.

Picking the ball up deep, he began to power forward, drawing in defenders and disrupting defensive lines.

It was from one such surge that he and Silva worked a triangle on the right edge of the box, Villarreal defenders flocking to the danger like soldier ants.

No sooner had they begun to crowd out the threat than Silva skipped clear and fed Nasri on the left edge of the box. He flipped a neat reverse pass for Kolarov, and his dangerous cross whooshed off the slick surface and forced Carlos Marchena to knock the ball past his own keeper, with Dzeko poised to pounce.

Yaya’s new role was also liberating for Silva, who suddenly blossomed – he almost lobbed a pass for Yaya to score a second, only for the over-zealous linesman to flag it offside.

There was still time in the first half for another Yaya surge, this time ending with Nasri firing his shot straight at Diego Lopez.

The goal and the tactical change transformed the game and City came out in the second half with intent in their stride.

Neat work from Barry and Silva and a switch of play to Pablo Zabaleta on the right created the first opening of the half, the Argentine swinging in a cross which Dzeko casually volleyed and Diego Lopez turned round the post.

The Bosnian might have done better.

The game seemed perfectly set for City to switch on the after-burners and fly off with the points, but things went strangely mute.

Indeed, Villarreal began to find their attacking feet and Hart had a busy spell, stopping shots and shouting at his sometimes lackadaisical defence.

For the second time in the match, City were seeking inspiration, but even sub Sergio Aguero – the scourge of Villarreal when he played for Atletico Madrid – could not provide, although he did play in Dzeko for the big man to blaze over the bar.

A section of the City crowd thought Kolarov had fittingly clinched it, but his curling free-kick had bounced off the advertising hoardings and hit the wrong side of the back of the net.

Kolarov was provider again as he swung over a late cross and Dzeko was left totally unmarked, only for the misfiring striker to get his header badly wrong.

But up popped Aguero deep in added time, touching home at the far post after sub Milner had worked an opening and Zabaleta’s cross had been touched on by Silva at the near post.

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