John Townley's Aston Villa player ratings after the penalty shoot-out defeat at Brentford
Our dedicated Aston Villa reporter is always on the pulse of all things claret and blue, from major talking points to transfer news to match action, John Townley will bring you the very latest from Bodymoor Heath and Villa Park.
Aston Villa lost to Brentford on penalties
Aston Villa lost to Brentford on penalties(Image: Getty Images)
Aston Villa’s miserable start to the season continued in the capital as they were dumped out of the Carabao Cup by Brentford 4-2 on penalties.
Hákon Valdimarsson set the tone in the shoot-out by saving John McGinn’s opening spot-kick, before Fabio Carvalho, Reiss Nelson, and Yehor Yarmolyuk all converted for the hosts.
After Matty Cash was also denied, Mikkel Damsgaard sealed the tie with a confidently taken penalty to send Brentford through.
After drawing blanks in their opening four league matches, Villa finally broke their drought just before half-time when Harvey Elliott netted his first goal for the club.
McGinn won the ball high up the pitch, allowing Elliott to fire past Hákon Valdimarsson, who might feel he should have done better to keep the strike out.
Before that, Sepp van den Berg came closest to opening the scoring, forcing a sharp save from Marco Bizot with a header after being picked out by Vitaly Janelt from a corner.
Villa nearly doubled their advantage five minutes into the second half when Jadon Sancho struck the outside of the post from a tight angle after connecting with Evann Guessand’s cross from the right.
Brentford boss Keith Andrews made 10 changes to the side that drew 2-2 with Chelsea at the weekend, handing a debut to Benjamin Arthur. Unai Emery rotated as well, making seven changes to his Villa XI.
He called on Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins in the 67th minute, as they replaced goalscorer Elliott and Donyell Malen, who only registered 21 touches, three of which were in the penalty box.
However, the attacking duo found it difficult to make an impact in the final half-hour, coming up against Brentford’s stubborn defence.
Cash, who was adamant he had been tripped in the box during the first half, nearly snatched a late winner when John McGinn picked him out at the back post, but Valdimarsson was equal to his effort, denying the Poland international with a crucial save.
Player ratings
Marco Bizot Bizot returned to the starting XI after making way for Emi Martinez at the weekend. He made a smart stop to deny Van den Berg’s header in the 24th minute, but there was nothing he could do about Hickey's strike. 6
Matty Cash Cash was apoplectic after seeing a penalty claim waved away late in the first half. Defending against Rico Henry’s overlaps, he recovered well on a few occasions as the Bees full-back tried to race in behind. Missed a crucial spot-kick in the shoot-out. 5
Ezri Konsa Konsa continued in defence with Victor Lindelof absent from the squad. He blocked Henry’s effort from inside the box shortly before Bizot’s save to deny Van den Berg. Konsa also made an important block on Ouattara’s shot after the winger led a dangerous counter-attack in the 39th minute. 6
Pau Torres Torres returned to the starting lineup, making his second appearance of the season after also starting at the Gtech Community Stadium last month. He headed wide of the post in the sixth minute after being picked out by Elliott in the box. 5
Ian Maatsen Maatsen also made his second start of the campaign. He linked up well down the left with Sancho, his former Borussia Dortmund teammate, but struggled at times against Ouattara, who managed to get the better of him on a few occasions. 5
Lamare Bogarde The 21-year-old put in a crunching but fair tackle on Antoni Milambo in the first half and read the game well throughout the evening, showing growing maturity in his performance. 6
John McGinn Floated a lovely ball into Guessand’s stride in the 11th minute, though the Ivorian couldn’t quite bring it under control in the box. The captain later won the ball back high up the pitch, allowing Elliott to fire in his first goal for the club and give Villa the lead. Got stuck in alongside Bogarde. Missed the first pen. 6
Evann Guessand Guessand made his fourth consecutive appearance for his new club. He rotated with Elliott, playing both off the right and in the number 10 role. His first touch wasn’t always crisp. It might have been interesting to see him deployed centrally as a number nine, given his physical presence. 4
Harvey Elliott A dream full debut for Elliott, who scored on his first start for the club. He operated both in the hole and off the right throughout the evening. He also created Villa’s first chance of the night, crossing for Torres early on. 7*
Jadon Sancho Sancho made his Villa debut, starting on the left wing with the licence to drift inside. The Manchester United loanee is still getting up to speed at his new club but showed flashes of his technical ability to weave away from pressure. Hit the post when he ought to have done better. 5
Donyell Malen Villa struggled to get Malen involved, as he managed just nine touches in the first 30 minutes and only three in the box during the first half. He might have been better suited playing out wide, given the physical nature of Brentford’s central defenders. Replaced in the 67th minute, just after blazing the ball into the stands. 4
SUBS
Morgan Rogers (for Elliott, 67'): Added more of a presence to Villa's attack and saw a shot comfortably saved by Valdimarsson, before then testing the 'keeper once again in added time. 5
Ollie Watkins (for Malen, 67'): Like Malen, Watkins was hardly involved after he came on. Took his penalty well in the shoot-out. 5
Boubacar Kamara (75'): N/A
Emi Buendia (75'): N/A
Jamal Jimoh-Aloba (for Guessand, 80'): N/A
Subs not used: Proctor, Mings, Digne, Borland.
GOALS
Brentford: Hickey (57')
Villa: Elliott (43')
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