Chris Foy toots his whistle and we are up and running.

Villa Park is in fine voice as Paul Lambert strides down the touchline to exchange pleasantries with his opposite number.

Manuel Pellegrini and his assistant have broken out the duvet jackets. They have gone early for me there. Only the start of October.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, EPA

West Brom manager Alan Irvine: "I was disappointed in how we used the ball in the first half. I was disappointed we didn't show enough courage on the ball. I challenged the players to be braver at half-time and in the second half we gave Liverpool a difficult game. From our point of view, we've got a few things we're disappointed with."

Irvine on the Baggies' penalty: "From where I was I couldn't be sure whether it was inside or out. Having been given it, for Saido Berahino to step up and take it with such confidence was great. He practises and he gets the benefit of all that practice. I thought he worked the centre-halves extremely well. His movement for a young player is very good. "

This Aston Villa line-up is a moveable feast.

The Villa Park stadium announcer says Gabriel Agbonlahor was injured in the warm-up, rather than suffering from a return of the bug.

Jack Grealish is promoted to the bench with Andreas Weimann in the starting XI.

DSM:, external Easy Aston Villa win today, i can just see it happening!

Robert Griffin: , externalBaker in the starting XI always makes me feel uneasy... #AVFC

Prior to the virus that hit Aston Villa's Bodymoor like headlice at a primary school, Villa has taken 10 points from the first 12 on offer.

Since the outbreak they have been beaten 3-0 by both Arsenal and Chelsea.

Even that sounds like a good effort to me. I can hardly get downstairs with a dose of manflu..

Image source, AFP

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers: "It was very satisfying. We had to show big character today. West Brom were arriving here on the back of a number of good results. I thought the resilience of the players was fantastic and we were helped by the crowd because they realised the team needed a lift. It was a big win for us.

"All being well we'll have all the players back against QPR and that's important to us. Daniel Sturridge and Joe Allen, we have missed his intensity and technical quality. When you lose someone like Luis Suarez it's going to take time to adjust, but the players here are magnificent, great quality and character, they had to dig in and got the result.

"We showed great potential against Tottenham and once we get all the players back and we can rotate the squad a bit better that will help us. It's been frustrating, we had to make changes in the summer, to strengthen the squad and we missed a world class striker. We will get better as we go on."

Jonathan Pearce
BBC Match of the Day commentator at Villa Park

"On paper this should be Manchester City's sixth league win in their last seven games against a Villa side that suffered potentially demoralising 3-0 defeats in the last two matches.

"But I'm not too sure.

"The reigning champions have been below their best since losing in Munich last month. Their self-belief has been dented.

"Manchester City have the sumptuous skills and overall strength to suddenly hit form and smack in five or six against anyone. Villa, though, are better than those defeats against the Gunners and at Stamford Bridge suggest. They could create a shock in this one."

BBC Sport's Chris Bevan at Villa Park

Image source, BBC Sport

"Huge cheers for Christian Benteke when his name is read out by the stadium announcer at Villa Park. The Belgian striker is on the bench after missing Villa's last 14 Premier League games with an Achilles injury, and is looking spritely in the warm-up. The sun is still shining here, incidentally, but it has gone decidedly chilly."

Image source, Getty Images

Sunderland manager Gus Poyet: "I love winning, I hate losing. It was incredible. It wasn't our best game but we were outstanding in front of goal. They are happy boys now. The start looks different, it looks more than decent.

"They (the players) want to be on the front page of the newspaper tomorrow.

"When I'm wrong I take responsibility. It's nice when it works. Something was missing - we were good but couldn't score. We started Fletch and it worked. I am sure we will play better but it's a good day.

"Before today it was no wins. Now we have only lost one in seven. I don't remember the last time I was that calm at the end of a game."

Looks like the virus that swept through Aston Villa's training ground a couple of weeks ago has not gone for good.

Gabriel Agbonlahor is ill so has been replaced in the starting line-up by Andreas Weimann.

Villa's starting line-up now reads: Guzan, Hutton, Senderos, Baker, Cissokho, Cleverley, Westwood, Delph, N'Zogbia, Richardson, Weimann.

No news on who, if anyone, steps up to take the spare seat on the Villa bench.

Image source, Getty Images

Swansea manager Garry Monk: "We should have won the game. The two times we didn't concentrate we were punished but one point is better than none.

"The possession was so easy that our concentration lapsed a little. We talked about managing the game properly but we didn't do it. We had chances to put the game to bed and didn't so we ran the risk of that happening."

Former Republic of Ireland international Kevin Kilbane
Final Score

"Sunderland needed goals from Connor Wickham and Steven Fletcher and they got them from both today. Overall they will be delighted. They didn't start particularly well, but they grew into it as it went on and deserved the win."

Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown
Final Score

"Ross Wallace, what a fantastic free-kick it was from him. It just knocked the stuffing right out of Leicester. They beat Manchester United at home not so long ago and they really should have won again today. A great result for Burnley."

Sufyaan:, external Liverpool one point of third place. Crisis? What crisis?

Abhishek:, external One of these days I am going to end up in ICU. Liverpool fans will have a seperate wing

MJC1973:, external Well a win is a win but we really make it hard for ourselves #LFC

Right now somewhere behind the scenes at Villa Park, Villa assistant manager Roy Keane and Manchester City development manager Patrick Vieira are probably bumping chests over a pre-match buffet.

Obviously, obviously, no-one likes to see scuffles in the tunnel, but it has been a long time since we have seen two warriors going at from the off like those two did in February 2005.

Image source, Getty Images

BBC Sport's Chris Bevan at Villa Park

Image source, BBC Sport

"The visit of champions Manchester City is the latest in a vicious run of fixtures for Aston Villa, who have just played the three other teams from last season's top four, beating Liverpool but losing to Arsenal and Chelsea. "I've not known a sequence of games like it," writes Villa boss Paul Lambert in his programme notes, but he is still confident of ending it with another victory.

"We never set our stall out to do anything but win and we know we've done this before by coming from behind here twice last season to overcome City in a thrilling game," Lambert explains. "If we do get something that we can hang on to today, we believe we can go again and take it."

This one's for Roy from Croydon.

Spanish La Liga

Image source, Getty Images

It's all over in the Mestalla, where Valencia have stunned Atletico Madrid with a 3-1 victory over the Spanish champions.

The hosts went 3-0 up inside 13 minutes, thanks to Miranda's own goal, an Andre Gomes strike and Nicolas Otamendi's header. Atletico striker Mario Mandzukic pulled one back for the visitors, who also missed a penalty when Diego Alves saved Guilherme Siqueira's spot-kick.

Bury go top of the bottom tier with a 2-0 win over north-west rivals Tranmere. An equaliser in the eighth minute of injury-time hands Wycombe a dramatic 1-1 draw against top-six rivals Northampton and keeps the Chairboys in second place.

At the bottom, three second-half goals help Carlisle cruise past Hartlepool and climb off the foot of the Football League. The crushing 3-0 defeat means the home side sink to the bottom instead.

Five other sides - Accrington, Oxford, Plymouth, Morecambe and Luton - are also celebrating victories.