Manchester City left it late to beat Aston Villa and move within two points of Premier League leaders Chelsea with a hard-fought 2-0 win at Villa Park.

Yaya Toure broke the Villans' resistance on 82 minutes by running into enemy territory unchallenged before stroking past Brad Guzan at his near post.

Sergio Aguero was on hand to consolidate the win six minutes later, curling beyond Guzan from just outside the box to seal a spirited victory for the Premier League champions.

Below, Sports Mole looks at how each player performed individually in the West Midlands.

Goal

Brad Guzan: Pulled off a string of crucial saves and might think himself slightly unlucky to be on the losing side. Two well-placed goals from Yaya Toure and Sergio Aguero render him blameless for the defeat, too. (7/10)

Defence

Alan Hutton: Offered very little offensively and showed why so much of Manchester City's attack came down his avenue. Charged with the task of curbing Aleksandar Kolarov's attacking instincts and failed miserably. (4/10)

Philippe Senderos: Perhaps slightly guilty of not coming out to close down Yaya Toure in the lead up to his 82nd-minute winner. You expect more from such an experienced defender. (5/10)

Nathan Baker: Threw himself in the way of a host of Manchester City shots but, like his centre-half partner, was a prime culprit in the opening goal after allowing someone of Yaya Toure's ability time and space. (5/10)

Aly Cissokho: Did not see much action offensively or defensively as so many of Manchester City's attack came down Alan Hutton's channels. (6/10)

Midfield

Tom Cleverley: Quiet day at the office for the Manchester United loanee and did not really impose himself on the midfield. (5/10)

Fabian Delph: Pressed the Manchester City defence well and forced a couple of errors that his teammates failed to capitalise on. Faded badly in the second half, however. (6/10)

Ashley Westwood: Skippered Aston Villa in the absence of Gabriel Agbonlahor and performed admirably with the armband. (6/10)

Attack

Kieran Richardson: Spurned Aston Villa's best chance of the game after hesitating in a one-on-one situation with Joe Hart, allowing for Pablo Zabaleta to recover in time. (5/10)

Charles N'Zogbia: Produced an electric second-half display at times but it was his decision making which let him down occasionally throughout the evening. (6/10)

Andreas Weimann: Will not be asked to play up front again after a largely anonymous showing from the Austrian as Aston Villa's spearhead. (4/10)

Substitutes

Christian Benteke: Got 30 minutes under his belt having not played for six months. Understandably rusty and did no better than Weimann, who he replaced. (5/10)

Leandro Bacuna: Did not offer more than what Charles N'Zogbia had offered. Poor substitution from manager Paul Lambert. (4/10)

Jack Grealish: Came on at a time when Manchester City began to dominate and the 19-year-old seldom saw the ball. Big things are expected from him and cannot be judged on tonight's performance. (5/10)

Goal

Joe Hart: Can probably afford to skip the post-match shower after barely breaking sweat this evening. Clean sheet, but had virtually nothing to do in order to earn it. (6/10)

Defence

Pablo Zabaleta: Did enough to make Kieran Richardson hesitate with just Joe Hart to beat in perhaps his only defensive contribution of note. (6/10)

Vincent Kompany: Made at least one crucial interception, sliding across the grass at full stretch to prevent Andreas Weimann from going through one-on-one with Joe Hart. Got away with one or two errors but fine for the most part. (6/10)

Eliaquim Mangala: Responded well after a nightmare display at the KC Stadium last week, but he could hardly call this a test. (6/10)

Aleksandar Kolarov: Solid attacking display and swung in a number of top-quality deliveries, but was largely untested defensively by virtue of Manchester City's dominance. (6/10)

Midfield

James Milner: Excellent performance defensively and in attack from the England international, who bagged an assist for Sergio Aguero's goal. He vindicated Manuel Pellegrini for selecting him ahead of Jesus Navas. (7/10)

Fernandinho: Sold by Charles N'Zogbia a number of times but broke up plenty of Aston Villa attacks before being subbed with an ankle injury on 55 minutes. (6/10)

Yaya Toure: Was well below par but unlocked the Aston Villa defence by stroking the opener past Brad Guzan with eight minutes remaining. The goal will do him the world of good. (7/10)

David Silva: Proved himself Manchester City's go-to-guy for the duration of his 84 minutes on the turf and was constantly involved throughout. (8/10)

Attack

Edin Dzeko: The Premier League's highest goalscorer in 2014 should have added to his haul of 14 but missed a glorious first-half chance. Subbed on 64 minutes. (4/10)

Sergio Aguero: Scored the second goal in fine fashion, but the quality of finish does not disguise what was an average overall performance from the hitman. (6/10)

Substitutes

Frank Lampard: Missed a chance that he has made a career out of scoring, but Yaya Toure spared his blushes by firing the opening goal just moments later. (5/10)

Fernando: First game back after a six-game absence but slotted into the midfield well and allowed Yaya Toure and Frank Lampard to venture forward. (6/10)

Jesus Navas: Contributed little in his five-minute cameo. (5/10)