Aston Villa continued their resurgence with a 4-0 victory against **Bournemouth**at Villa Park.
Goals from **Emiliano Buendia**and Amadou Onana put the Villans two goals to the good by the break. Their opponents put on the pressure at the beginning of the second half, but an excellent intervention from Emiliano Martinez made sure that the hosts would hold onto the three points.
Ross Barkley and Donyell Malen wrapped up the scoring in a successful showing for the side. They sat in the top seven at the final whistle, and are fully back in contention for the continental positions.
Story of the Match
Unai Emery made six alterations to the lineup he used in a 2-0 midweek win over Maccabi Tel Aviv.
**Matty Cash**and John McGinn, who have both signed new deals with Aston Villa in the last couple of weeks, were back in the action from kickoff. Lucas Digne and Ollie Watkins would replace the two scorers against the Israeli club, **Ian Maatsen**and Donyell Malen. Boubacar Kamara came into the midfield next to usual partner Amadou Onana, and **Emiliano Buendia**completed the changes.
Andoni Iraola looked for a response to a 3-1 defeat to **Man City**at the Etihad Stadium last week. He sent out a **Bournemouth**side with four changes to the starting eleven from the trip to Manchester.
Bafode Diakité made way for Veljko Milosavljevic in central defence as the partner to Marcos Senesi. Adam Smith stepped in for Alex Jimenez as the right back, Justin Kluivert came in for **David Brooks**as one of the three attackers behind the striker, and **Evanilson**returned to lead the line.
These two high flying teams have exceeded expectations in the Premier League under shrewd Spanish head coaches, but it would take time for exciting action to unfold at Villa Park.
A clash of heads between Tyler Adams and Smith left the right back writhing in pain. Medics tried to patch up the damage of the cut to Adams’ head, but he had to leave the field after the first ten minutes of the match. Jimenez joined the defensive line in his place, and the play resumed in the Midlands.
With Thursday football in the Villa legs, one would expect the physical, hard-running **Bournemouth**to bring more impetus. They threatened through Tavernier, who failed to make the most of a free kick with a wayward, looking for their first victory under Iraola against the Villans in their fifth attempt.
But, on the cusp of the half hour mark, the hosts broke the deadlock. **Emiliano Buendia**lined up an effort from a free kick, and he swept a strike over the wall and into the net past Djordje Petrovic.
The Villans then started to pick up ahead of steam. Watkins would twice watch shots blocked by **Bournemouth**defenders before Petrovic smothered another shot from the striker. He also would have received an opportunity for a tap-in if Jimenez did not intercept a flicked header from Pau Torres.
There would then be another what-if moment for the Cherries. **Evanilson**ran down the left channel as the target for a clipped long ball and got ahead of Pau Torres, the last man in the Villa backline. But, the striker could not take the pass into his stride, and Villa punished him at the other end of the field.
Onana released Morgan Rogers on the right flank, and the attacking midfielder cheekily nudged the ball through the legs of Jimenez before returning the ball back to Onana. A chance for a shot from a similar range had passed him by earlier in the match, but there was no hesitation on this occasion.
Now, Iraola’s men were 2-0 down. Jimenez and Kluivert lashed out long range shots at the end of the first half, but there were no immediate inroads into a healthy advantage for the hosts before the break.
The guests kept plugging away and would not be held back by a Buendia tug on Kluivert on a counter. Semenyo stepped onto the loose ball as the referee allowed the advantage, and McGinn got his body in the way. However, the ball fell for Scott, whose strike deflected and looped awkwardly into the air. **Emiliano Martinez**had to backpedal, and he threw himself successfully at the ball to prevent a goal.
The pressure was piling up as the Holte End became increasingly nervous in the second half. Ezri Konsa crashed into a last ditch challenge to deal with the possible threat of the onrushing Scott, and at the subsequent corner, **Evanilson**wriggled free at the far post, directing a headed effort onto the post.
With a triple substitution signalling the intent of the Cherries, they received a golden opportunity to half the deficit. A handball at the back post from Rogers in the penalty area allowed the referee to award a spot kick. Semenyo stepped up to the plate, but Martinez dived down to parry his effort.
**Villa Park**erupted, and the fans nearly witnessed a sharp sequence finished off with a third goal from Rogers. Emery had seen enough, and he rotated three of his players. Jadon Sancho and **Ross Barkley**entered the pitch along with Youri Tielemans, who was back from his issues with a calf complaint.
Watkins was still looking for a second Premier League strike of the season, but his work rate remains valued by the team. He earned a corner for his troubles, and Barkley glanced a header into the net.
A direct delivery from **Lucas Digne**created the third goal of the game, and a fourth arrived from a short corner. Sancho started the routine, Tielemans struck from the edge of the danger zone, and the ball deflected off the heel of Malen to wrongfoot Petrovic. The hosts were in a gleeful mood.
Player of the Match: Emiliano Buendia
The resurgence of **Emiliano Buendia**is one of the success stories of the season for Villa, and after an injury against **Man City**a fortnight ago, he made another step in his road to recovery this year.
The Argentine netted a brilliant set piece to open the scoring, showing quality in the pockets and the work rate that Emery demands. His presence is proving to be a significant asset in the squad.