(Reuters) -Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said his side were not aggressive enough as they succumbed to their first loss since August in Sunday's 1-0 Premier League defeat at Aston Villa, but he insisted that his players were getting better.
City suffered back-to-back losses in August, but picked up 13 points in their next five league matches and went unbeaten in nine matches in all competitions before the defeat at Villa Park.
"We started a really good game. In general we were much better in the second half but in the end we could not score," Guardiola told Sky Sports.
"In the first half the pressing wasn't good, in the second half it was better. We were not aggressive enough... we had the chances to score, we could not do it. We will improve."
Guardiola, who has led City to six league titles since joining the club in 2016, said he was satisfied with his team's performance despite the loss.
"I am satisfied. We played really good in the Premier League mainly and we're getting better. We will learn from that. It is a long journey, we will try to be close at the end," he added.
City, six points below leaders Arsenal, will continue their league campaign against second-placed Bournemouth next Sunday.
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in BengaluruEditing by Toby Davis)
