Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the Premier League game between Manchester City and Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium.

Balotelli takes a floated ball forward to him on the run, but the linesman waves his flag after spotting the Italian had handled it.

City need one more goal to equal Manchester United’s record 25 goals so far this season. The last top-flight season in which two teams managed to score 25 goals within eight match rounds was in 1955/1956, Wolves (27) and Sunderland (28).

Warnock lines up a strike from range, but Hart was alweays behind the 30-yarder and catches easily.

Bent gets away a neat snap-shot after a long ball is nodded down to him, but the ball bounces off a defender before Hart is called into action.

Delph and De Jong collide as they both slide in for a 50/50 ball, and it's the Dutchman who comes off worse, taking a knee into the bread basket.

In the absence of Nasri, Silva and Aguero, Milner hs a lot more licence to attack than usual, and he is revelling in that role against his former employers.

Balotelli netted a hat-trick in the last time these sides met in Manchester, a 4-0 City triumph on 28 December 2010.

GOAL!! 1-0 City!! Balotelli scores with a lovely close range overhead kick from the corner! That's his fourth goal of the season and surely his best yet for City!

While the rest of his team-mates are claiming offside against Richards, Ireland dives in to stop Richards's cross at the expense of a corner.

City play their corner short, as they often do these days, but the move breaks down. An Alex McLeish defence is not to be drawn out by such a tactic.

Balotelli sidefoots a decent curling effort on goal from outside the box that Given has to tip aroun the foot of his far post.

City are slowly beginning to turn the screw on Villa now. The visitors are barely getting out of their half.

Manchester City are one of two sides that have not conceded a goal at home this season. The other is Swansea City.

Another lovely move by City is somewhat tarnished by Micah Richards, whose dive inside the Villa box is so late the referee can't bring himself to book him for it. Everyone in the ground just feels sorry for the City right-back.

Lescott leaps highest at the far post, but can only head Johnson's corner wide.

Nice sweeping move forward from City before Ciaran Clark gets in a solid tackle on Balotelli at the expense of a corner.

Nigel de Jong, making his first league appearance since August, takes until the 19th minute to commit his first foul, a niggly one on Ireland.

Another ex-Villan, Gareth Barry, tries a strike from long range, but Ireland is on hand to get his foot in and send the ball hamrlessly back to his keeper.

Milner came so close to scoring against his old club in incredible fashion. Not sure if the flag was up against him or not, but he was certainly level.

OFF THE POST BY MILNER!! Yaya Toure storms down the right wing and pulls the ball across to Balotelli. The Italian hits a low strike that is going wide, but Milner tries to steer it back on target with an instinctive backheel flick that rebounds off the outside of the post!

City have been commanding on the ball in these opening stages, but Villa look well set up to seize upon an opening when one presents itself.