When the ball returned to Theodore's feet, Benjamin Mendy had been left in the dust.
Kevin De Bruyne rushed over to cover, but Theodore paid him no mind.
While the Belgian's passing and shooting were world-class, his defensive tackling was average.
With a rapid series of body feints, Theodore shifted his center of gravity, bypassing De Bruyne's challenge and cutting inside with devastating effect.
Panic ripped through the Manchester City defensive line.
At the top of the penalty arc, Theodore drew back his left foot, preparing to unleash a strike.
But Rodri lunged into his path again.
Mirroring his first-half foul, Rodri threw his body into Theodore, cynically dragging the teenager down to prevent the shot.
Referee Jon Moss did not hesitate. He marched over to Rodri, brandished a second yellow card, and followed it with a red.
The Manchester City midfielder was sent off.
"Rodri pays the ultimate price!" Peter Drury exclaimed. "A second yellow card, and he is off! Manchester City are down to ten men!"
"And Aston Villa have another prime free-kick opportunity," Jim Beglin added. "He had to make the foul, Peter. If Theodore gets that shot away, it is a certain goal."
On social media, fans saw the dawn of victory.
@VillaFanTV: "Rodri is a double agent! Thank you, Rodri!"
@HolteEnder: "I'm laughing! What was he thinking?"
@EPL_Scout: "City down to ten men. Villa have this in the bag!"
@FootballNerd: "Another free kick in Beckham territory. Come on Theo!"
After Rodri trudged down the tunnel, play resumed.
Theodore placed the ball on the turf, took a deep breath, and studied Ederson's positioning.
The Brazilian goalkeeper looked visibly rattled, having already witnessed the teenager's dead-ball mastery.
Theodore stepped back three paces as Jon Moss blew the whistle.
Theodore began a measured run-up. This position was closer than the first, roughly 22 yards out.
At this proximity, a shooter must generate immense dip to clear the wall and threaten the goal.
Theodore delivered.
Bang!
The ball soared over the City wall and dipped with vicious top-spin.
It dropped right under the crossbar!
While not tucked flush into the corner, the sheer velocity beat Ederson. The Brazilian's desperate dive was a fraction too late.
"HE HAS DONE IT AGAIN!" Drury roared.
"3-2! Aston Villa take the lead! Two free-kicks, two moments of absolute genius!"
"And that is goal number 37," Beglin marveled. "He has extended his own record. He is rewriting the history books with every touch of the football."
Theodore finally unleashed his emotions.
He vaulted onto the advertising hoardings and pumped his fists toward the Holte End as The Villa Park faithful chanted his name in unison.
Every fan understood the gravity of the moment.
If Villa held this 3-2 lead, the gap over Manchester City would stretch to a staggering twelve points.
City would lose all control of the title race.
Following the restart, Guardiola paced his technical area. Trailing and down a man, the world-class manager was out of options.
He had no solutions left to deploy.
For the remainder of the match, Aston Villa organized into a rigid defensive block. City dominated possession, but being a man down left them toothless in attack.
Furthermore, they had to remain vigilant against the counter.
If Theodore won the ball, his long passing could expose their depleted backline.
This fear prevented City from committing bodies forward. Villa's midfield trio of Theodore, McGinn, and Douglas Luiz pressed with relentless energy, disrupting City's passing rhythms.
The final whistle blew.
Manchester City fell 3-2 to Aston Villa!
Guardiola's men had suffered a season double against the league leaders.
...
In his post-match press conference, Guardiola's face showed his frustration.
He spoke to the gathered reporters while spreading his hands.
"Tonight, we were close... I don't blame Rodri for the foul. He is an excellent player. If Theodore took that shot from open play, it was a certain goal. I understand the decision."
He sighed, shaking his head. "But I never anticipated his set-piece ability. I hear he broke the Premier League single-season scoring record tonight. I am happy for him. He is eighteen, and his future is incredibly bright."
"Pep, do you think City has lost hope for the title?" a Sky Sports reporter asked.
"We are now twelve points behind Aston Villa," Guardiola noted, acknowledging the new gap. "Given their form, it seems impossible to overtake them. But we don't give up. We fight until the end."
Theodore, having scored a hat-trick including two free-kicks, was the center of attention.
As he approached the tunnel, journalists swarmed him.
"Theo, congratulations on breaking the 26-year-old Premier League single-season scoring record. Can you share your feelings?"
Theodore took the microphone, his expression calm. "To be honest, I don't place much importance on personal statistics. I care about the team maintaining our winning streak!"
...
[Ding! Congratulations, host, for breaking the Premier League single-season goal record. Reward: 10 free attribute points!]
Just after Theodore finished his interview and stepped into the dressing room corridor, the system notification chimed in his mind.
He was thrilled by the unexpected reward.
Without hesitation, he allocated all 10 free attribute points directly into his Defense.
Theodore was well aware that his offensive arsenal—shooting, passing, and heading—was already world-class and more than sufficient to dominate matches.
His defensive stats, however, were relatively average compared to his attacking output.
[Defense: 67 → 77!]
His defensive attribute surged to a respectable 77!
Despite the significant boost, his overall rating remained locked at 90.
...
After securing the crucial double over Manchester City, Aston Villa faced a softer run of fixtures. They were scheduled to travel to the Amex Stadium to play Brighton, followed by a home clash against Watford three days later.
Finally, on January 29th, they would host Leicester City for the second leg of the League Cup semi-final.
Given Villa's red-hot form, securing victories against these three relatively weaker opponents seemed a formality.
Dean Smith used this stretch to rotate his squad heavily, prioritizing rest for his key players ahead of the grueling spring schedule.
Theodore only featured in the League Cup semi-final against Leicester.
For the two Premier League fixtures, the teenager remained an unused substitute on the bench.
Even without their talisman, the Villa machine rolled on effortlessly.
They dispatched Brighton 3-0 on the south coast and edged past Watford 1-0 at Villa Park.
In both matches, Villa established early leads and managed the game comfortably, allowing Smith to keep Theodore wrapped in cotton wool.
With those two victories, Aston Villa's Premier League winning streak extended to a staggering 24 matches.
When Theodore finally returned to the pitch for the League Cup semi-final second leg, he was devastatingly fresh.
He played just forty-five minutes against Leicester City, but it was a masterclass.
In the first half alone, he scored a perfect hat-trick—a header, a right-footed drive, and a left-footed finish.
Villa raced into a 3-0 lead by halftime, and the scoreline held until the final whistle.
Just like that, Aston Villa eliminated Leicester City and booked their ticket to Wembley for the League Cup Final.
In a month's time, they would face Manchester City for the trophy.
Villa had the unprecedented opportunity to defeat Guardiola's side three times in a single season.
During this frantic January period, Sporting Director Jesús García Pitarch secured a vital piece of business in the transfer market.
Following Tom Heaton's gruesome facial injury against Manchester City—which ruled the veteran keeper out for the remainder of the season—Villa urgently needed a reliable replacement between the sticks.
The Villa scouting department had been monitoring Arsenal's perpetual understudy, Emiliano Martínez.
The Argentine had never been given a proper run in the Arsenal first team, spending years bouncing around on various loans.
However, during a loan spell at Reading the previous season, Martínez had faced Aston Villa and delivered a near-flawless performance, leaving a lasting impression on Dean Smith.
After Heaton's injury, Pitarch moved swiftly, contacting Arsenal.
The negotiations were swift. Aston Villa brought Emiliano Martínez to Villa Park for a fee of €17 million.
...
February arrived, and Aston Villa's first test of the month was a home fixture against Bournemouth.
The Cherries sat 14th in the table.
While they appeared safe for the moment, they were only a few bad results away from slipping back into the relegation dogfight.
Recognizing the monumental task ahead, Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe deployed a rigidly defensive 4-5-1 formation.
From the opening whistle, every Bournemouth player retreated behind the ball.
Howe's game plan was transparent: park the bus, frustrate the league leaders, and pray for a 0-0 draw.
Taking even a single point from Villa Park would be viewed as a massive success.
Theodore Bjorn, however, refused to grant Howe his wish.
Just ten minutes in, Theodore shattered the Cherries' defensive resolve.
Finding a pocket of space in midfield, he unleashed a stunning, dipping long-range strike that pierced the Bournemouth net.
1-0!
The early goal destroyed Howe's tactical setup.
Forced to chase the game, Bournemouth had to abandon their defensive shell and attack.
Unfortunately for the visitors, their attacking prowess was severely lacking.
Under relentless pressing from the Villa midfield, Bournemouth repeatedly turned the ball over in dangerous areas.
For a ruthless team like Aston Villa, capitalizing on those mistakes was second nature.
When Bournemouth midfielder Dan Gosling carelessly misplaced a pass in the center circle, Theodore intercepted it cleanly.
Without taking a touch, he launched a sweeping long pass over the top, perfectly picking out Wesley's run.
The Brazilian striker brought the ball down inside the box, but his shot was well saved by Bournemouth's young goalkeeper, Aaron Ramsdale.
The rebound, however, spun out to the edge of the penalty area.
Theodore, having followed his pass, arrived perfectly to control the loose ball.
Bournemouth defenders scrambled to close him down, but they were too slow. Theodore set his feet and fired a low, powerful drive.
The ball moved like lightning, threading the needle between two center-backs and nestling into the far corner.
Ramsdale had no chance.
2-0!
Ten minutes later, Theodore completed his hat-trick, rising highest to meet a Jack Grealish corner and powering a header home.
3-0!
Despite there being nearly an hour left to play, the match was effectively over.
The Bournemouth players slumped their shoulders, and the away fans fell silent.
In the second half, Eddie Howe threw in the towel, substituting three key players to save their legs for more winnable fixtures.
Aston Villa coasted to a 3-0 victory.
After 25 Premier League matches, Aston Villa remained undefeated, their historic 25-game winning streak solidifying their iron grip on the title race!
....
Five days later, Villa prepared for a marquee clash at Villa Park against Tottenham Hotspur.
The landscape in North London had shifted dramatically since their last meeting.
Mauricio Pochettino had been sacked.
Pochettino's start to the season had been disastrous. Aside from the defeat to Villa, Spurs had also lost to Newcastle and Leicester.
The final straw for chairman Daniel Levy came in the Champions League.
Under the lights of the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Spurs suffered a humiliating 7-2 demolition at the hands of Bayern Munich.
Levy lost patience and ruthlessly dismissed the man who had guided them to the Champions League final just months prior.
His replacement was the "Special One."
José Mourinho had arrived to take the reins at Tottenham!
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10 or more chapter before our MC moving up to another club!