Aston Villa boss Dean Smith said his team were “face to face” with Man City in their final Carabao Cup defeat on Sunday.
Goals from Sergio Aguero and Rodri gave City a 2-0 lead after half an hour, before Mbwana Samatta halved the deficit four minutes before half time.
Claudio Bravo assured City of winning a third consecutive EFL Cup when he bowed Bjorn Engels’ header well on the post late.
Although he fell into relegation over the weekend, Smith is confident his team can win enough in their 11 remaining games to maintain their Premier League status.
He told talkSPORT, “It is very easy to be struck off very quickly.
“Our performance at Southampton last week was far from the level we want, but I could say that the players were determined today.
“If you can compete against a team like Manchester City like we did today, if you do this week, week after week, set your standards, then chances are we’re going to win games.
“You can’t look at the results yesterday, it puts us in relegation places, but we have a game in hand and 11 cup finals. If they play like they did in this one, everything will be fine . “
Smith believes that fans of Aston Villa were stronger than supporters of the city of Wembley.
He added, “The only thing I can say, I thought our supporters won the supporters’ battle today.
“They were huge and made so much noise.
“They have done it all season and if they continue like today, with them as our 12th man, we will have no problem. There was a great sign of solidarity between the players and the supporters today.