Jackson’s double leads Villa past Manchester City as strong start continues

Nicolas Jackson scored twice as Aston Villa beat Manchester City 2-1, capping a strong start to life at the club and giving Villa a boost in their Premier League campaign. The Senegal striker has scored seven times in his first 11 appearances, according to BBC Sport.

Jackson, 25, joined Villa from Chelsea in the summer as a replacement for Ollie Watkins, who moved to Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal in August. Watkins scored 91 Premier League goals in 221 appearances for Villa and reached double figures in each of his six seasons there.

Jackson has scored four goals in seven Premier League games for Villa, compared with 24 in 65 league appearances for Chelsea. BBC Sport says he is averaging a goal every 138 minutes at Villa, against every 210 minutes at Chelsea, and has converted 21% of his shots compared with 15% at his former club. The early figures come from a much smaller sample at Villa.

Former Villa defender Martin Keown told BBC Sport he believed Jackson was an upgrade on Watkins, praising his movement near goal and pace. The comparison remains based on Jackson’s early run at Villa, while Watkins’ record spans six seasons.

Villa manager Unai Emery, who coached Jackson at Villarreal, said he knew the striker’s ability and praised his focus and humility. Jackson said settling in had been made easier by the coach and his team-mates.

Jackson’s two goals against City were Villa’s only shots on target in the match. The win also ended City’s 100% start to the season, BBC Sport reported.