Enzo Maresca has insisted Manchester City's players are capable of shutting out the hostility they face on the road, following a difficult afternoon at Aston Villa that ended in their first Premier League defeat of the season.

Jeers and chants of "you know what you are" — a reference to City's guilty verdict over breaches of the Premier League's financial rules — rang around Villa Park throughout Saturday's match. It was only their second away fixture since the independent commission's ruling, and the noise showed no sign of letting up.

Maresca's message of focus

Speaking to BBC Sport, Maresca pointed to the two most recent away performances as evidence that his squad can remain composed under pressure.

"We played Liverpool away, Villa away, and the players showed that they don't care about noise. They play the game, they are focused on the game and are doing the right things," Maresca said.

"We are focused on our job and the players are focused on what they can do on the pitch. I think at Liverpool and Villa away, they showed they can focus on what they can control."

Midfielder Elliot Anderson had acknowledged before kick-off at Villa Park that the reception would be rough. "Yes, probably," he told TNT Sports when asked whether City faced a hostile crowd. "Everywhere we go we get it."

Guehi's difficult day

Defender Marc Guehi, who said last week that it can be "very easy to listen to the noise" and be "affected by everything going on," endured a testing afternoon. He gave the ball away for the opening goal, was booked for fouling goalscorer Nicolas Jackson, and was substituted at half-time.

Maresca was nevertheless supportive, describing Guehi as a "top guy" and saying he was "completely happy" with the centre-back. The manager added that mistakes by Guehi or goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma are always "recognised" by the staff.

Fans respond with humour

Manchester City's own supporters have met the jeering with a brand of self-deprecating wit, responding to opposition chants with songs such as "we know what we are" and "City's going down with a billion in the bank."

What comes next

City now turn their attention to back-to-back home fixtures against Brighton & Hove Albion — first in the Carabao Cup, then in the Premier League — before heading to RB Leipzig in the UEFA Champions League. They then travel to Nottingham Forest on 7 November.

Forest fans will be well aware of what it means to fall foul of the Premier League's financial regulations, having been docked four points in 2024 for similar breaches — though they are unlikely to extend much sympathy to City's current predicament.