The centre-back opened the scoring at Villa Park just before the half-hour mark with an accurate strike from outside the box with his weaker left foot, before compatriot Bernardo Silva’s sumptuous volley doubled the lead before the interval.
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The hosts pulled one back through Ollie Watkins seconds after the restart, but Dias and City remained firm, resolute and determined at the back to help City to a fourth successive league victory.
The Portuguese defender was overjoyed with his goal and when quizzed about whether he has scored a goal in similar fashion before, he said:
“I have, I have, it was a special goal for me!
“It is a very important win today way against a team that are on fire under a new manager. Very important to get the three points. Everyone fought a lot and we are very happy.
“[Bernardo‘s goal was] even more special because it gave us the 2-0 lead. It gave us a little bit of extra confidence into the second half.
“The game changed when they scored. We have to give them credit because it was a good goal. It changed the game, they went with the crowd, but our team were always there and we were always in control.”
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The victory takes City to six consecutive victories across all competitions and Dias believes that the recent form of Pep Guardiola‘s side is a reflection of their mentality.
“That’s who we are, that’s what our team is made of,” he said. “Big shoutout to everyone because to come here and perform how we did today is a demonstration of how we work, no exceptions.
“The bigger the challenge the bigger the wins. We love that. It is what we are here for.”
