aston villa 1 v 6 manchester city

It's difficult to say much about the football.

Sheik Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan has invested well over £1.3 billion in Manchester City since he took over ownership in 2018. Undoubtedly, his funding has helped create one of the most gifted football teams in history and Sergio Aguero's hat-trick on Sunday is richly deserved. However, with that level of financial clout it hardly seems a level-playing field.

For me the real story of the game is not the football but my son's reaction to a complete evisceration of his beloved Villa. I'm so proud of the young man.

Ben is learning disabled. He's nearly thirty four but with a mental age probably around five or six. Come half-time we're four goals down with the Villa goal serving as little more than target practice for a rampant City. I see Ben's shoulders begin to shake and tears of frustration start to form in his eyes as we make our way up the steps to the concourse.

A bottle of Zero coke and a generous portion of chips later he's beginning to calm down. 'Time to go, do you think, Ben?' He nods. 'Yes, dad'. He could have chosen to cry and bawl but no - he's putting on his brave face. We'll be back again at Villa Park soon and he'll be cheering with the best. My son, my hero.