Adam Armstrong of Southampton shoots, which is saved by Emiliano Martinez of Aston Villa
Adam Armstrong of Southampton shoots, which is saved by Emiliano Martinez of Aston Villa
Aston Villa secured their second victory in four days as they beat strugglers Southampton 1-0 at Villa Park on Saturday.
Jhon Durán took his chance on a rare start for the Villans, nicking the ball off Taylor Harwood-Bellis and whipping the ball past Joe Lumley to score an early winner after 24 minutes. If not for missed chances from the likes of Morgan Rogers and Ross Barkley later on in the day, Villa could easily have found themselves two or three more goals to the good at Villa Park.
The win made it two out of two this week after the 3-1 home victory over Brentford in midweek, restoring Villa's fortunes after seven games without a win prior to the Brentford clash.
Here is how the national media have reacted to Unai Emery's side's triumph over bottom of the league Saints...
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Not quite so bad...
'For Villa, suddenly things are not quite so bad' - an observation from The Guardian on just how quickly things can change in football.
After over the months without a win in any competition, Villa are now re-familiar with what it feels like to pick up three points, and back-to-back three points at that. The national paper were quick to point out how much of an ask it would be for Russell Martin's side to mount a comeback after going a goal down, hinting that Villa, who were clear favourite prior to kick-off, were always going to be in control.
With chances going awry as has happened before when Villa have been ahead, The Guardian pondered the question over whether Emery's team would rue their missed opportunity to completely kill the game off as Saints had a small push in stoppage time, but credited the Claret and Blues for their steel to hold on in such 'filthy conditions'.
'Super-sub' no more?
It was a first Premier League for Durán who, as ever, made his mark on the pitch with the maverick managing the only goal of the game.
The Colombian has bagged all four other of his league goals off the bench with the strike against Saints his first since September. His most notable notch came in the Champions League though, when he took aim and fired Villa ahead in an historic victory over six-time European champions Bayern Munich.
The Times announced that Durán has shaken off his 'super-sub' tag and emphasised the fact that the visitors' boss described his team's performance as "madness". It was 'a gentle reminder' of what the 20-year-old can do, with Ollie Watkins getting a view of his competition in action from the bench.
A rare clean sheet
The Athletic , as well as also pointing out Martin's "madness" description, highlighted the fact that the clean sheet against the relegation-scrappers was just the second of the season for Villa.
After 15 games, Emery's side have managed just a couple of games without conceding in the Premier League, with their defensive being called into question at time, particularly during the recent blip.
Tyrone Mings stated after the Brentford game that he was furious with the Villans' failure to keep Thomas Frank's side at bay, but his side responded emphatically to shut out Saints.
Martin's men managed zero shots on target in B6 on Saturday much to Villa's credit, meaning it was the second time that the Saints had gone a full 90 minutes without a single effort on target.
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One was enough
'One goal was always going to be enough,' was the Daily Mail' s assessment of things considering the opponents Villa came up against on Saturday. Emery's men should have added more to their single goal tally, but it was clear that in this game that was not such a big concern.
The Mail also sang the praises of Durán who showed the 'full range of his capabilities' during the win.
The controversial figure has not been shy in voicing his frustration over his lack of minutes in claret and blue, almost departing the club in the summer for West Ham United due to his restricted playing time
However, Emery clearly has a plan for his 'protégé' whose last goal in all competitions came when Villa bowed out of the Carabao Cup in a 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace.
Coming for City
The Sun pointed out Villa's pursuit of champions Manchester City in their assessment of proceedings as the Lions climbed to just two points behind City.
The Citizens sit in fourth place and dropped more points on Saturday, drawing 2-2 with Palace at Selhurst Park. Emery's side now sit in sixth prior to Sunday's fixtures being played and continue their push for the Champions League places once again this season.
Not only are the Villans bearing down on City, but they are only three points off second-placed Chelsea with the table still remaining tight as we approach the halfway mark in the season.
Villa were also compared to Storm Darragh in their consistent 'battering' of the Saints defence during the win. However, The Sun were also aware of the hosts' missed opportunities, highlighting a hat-trick of missed chances for substitute Watkins against the 'toothless' Saints.
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