Manchester: Substitute Sergio Aguero grabbed a stoppage-time winner as Manchester City beat Villarreal 2-1 in the Champions League on Tuesday, earning the Premier League leaders their first victory in Group A.
The Argentina striker met a cross from compatriot Pablo Zabaleta with a simple tap-in at the far post in the fourth minute of stoppage time to lift the hosts to within a point of second-place Napoli in the group.
Cani put Villarreal in front in the fourth minute at the Etihad Stadium after goalkeeper Joe Hart spilled Giuseppe Rossi's shot but City equalised through Carlos Marchena's own goal in the 43rd.
The result left Villarreal searching for their first point after three games but City's star-studded team gave itself a decent chance of overhauling Napoli and Bayern Munich, which is two points clear at the top.
Languishing in the bottom half of the Spanish league and at the foot of their Champions League group, Villarreal have appeared a team lacking in confidence and belief this season.
However, the visitors surprised City by taking the lead with their first real chance of the match.
Nigel de Jong lost a 50-50 tackle with Jonathan de Guzman after being sold short by a sloppy pass from David Silva and the ball was fed to Rossi, who lashed in a low shot from just outside the area.
Hart could only parry it out to in-rushing Cani, who poked home from six yards out.
Villarreal, semifinalist in 2006, didn't threaten the hosts again in the first half, preferring instead to sit back and defend their lead.
That proved to be a dangerous tactic as City poured forward, Aleksandar Kolarov, Samir Nasri and Edin Dzeko all going close.
In the end, it was a Villarreal own goal that brought City level, Kolarov running onto Nasri's clever reverse pass and driving in a low cross that Marchena contrived to turn into his own net from six yards out, under pressure from Dzeko.
Diego Lopez then kept out a fierce, angled shot from Dzeko as Villarreal survived until halftime and carried more of a goal threat after the break.
Rossi, in particular, stretched City's defence, shooting just wide and then drawing a low save out of Hart.
Kolarov had a goal disallowed for offside at the other end in the 55th and Mancini introduced Aguero off the bench seven minutes later in place of De Jong.
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