Ollie Watkins’ second half goal was all that separated Aston Villa and Brentford in a rare away win for Unai Emery’s side.
After a quiet first half from both sides, it was Villa’s main man up front who scored the only goal of the game after a slick counter attack against his former side.
The result keeps Aston Villa in seventh place in the Premier League, while Brentford’s hopes of a top half finish remain in serious doubt having failed to win at home in 2025.
As it happened
The game’s opening was very cagey, with both sides attempting to get a feel for the other. The hosts started more quickly, with Robin Olsen lucky not to be penalised after appearing to pick up a back pass. The Bees’ intense press almost lead to Yoane Wissa having an empty to goal to aim at, but Youri Tielemans scrambled it clear. Aston Villa could only muster shots from distance and they caused no trouble for Mark Flekken in the opening 10 minutes.
They should have taken the lead from a set piece though, as Tielemans whipped in a beautiful delivery towards Tyrone Mings, who could only toe-poke a shot straight at the keeper from five yards out. Rhythm seemed to allude both sides for the next ten minutes, with wide men Bryan Mbeumo and Leon Bailey seeing the most of the ball, albeit in benign areas. Due to Ramadan, those who were fasting were able to have a drinks break on 25 minutes.
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Brentford’s first effort in anger came from 30 yards, as Keane Lewis-Potter tried his luck, perhaps having noticed Villa keeper Olsen was constantly rubbing his lower back and wincing. No change was made, and the visitors continued to turn up the pressure through set pieces, with Ethan Pinnock very lucky not to put the ball into his own net. Wissa then did put the ball in the Villa net, but the offside flag was raised instantly. There was only one added minute at the end of the half, which was a sign of how flat the first period was.
There were no substitutions for the home side during the break, but Villa brought on Matty Cash for Bailey. Brentford looked to begin the second half on the front foot, with Wissa forcing Olsen into a save seconds into the restart.
But, it was the former Bee Watkins who broke the deadlock. He received the ball on the left wing and had lots of space to run into before he shot for goal. A deflection then took it through the keeper’s legs to make it 1-0 to the visitors.
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Two minutes later, Watkins turned provider, as he laid it on a plate for Morgan Rogers who thought he had made it 2-0. However, after a long VAR review, the goal was ruled out. The game suddenly ignited into life, as Brentford started to up their tempo, needing to find a way back into the game.
The home side were seeing much more of the ball without creating any clear-cut chances. Due to their game midweek, more Villa subs were inevitable, and it was John McGinn who gave way for Boubacar Kamara, as Emery noticed Brentford were beginning to dominate the midfield. Now sitting deep, Villa were happy to soak up the pressure and catch Brentford on the break.
Marcus Rashford was brought on to replace Jacob Ramsey, but it was Axel Disasi who was taking the plaudits with various blocks and tackles at key moments, celebrating each one like a goal. Then, Lewis-Potter tried his luck once more, this time hitting the post with the keeper looking beaten.
Brentford’s first change came when Mathias Jensen replaced Vitaly Janelt to add some quality in the final third. The visitors took every chance they had to slow the game down, and Cash was booked for time wasting. At the other end, Brentford kept on pushing, as the ball was laid off for Kevin Schade to strike, but Olsen ultimately did well to palm it away.
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With four minutes to play, Watkins had a great chance to seal the win when Rogers sent him through on goal, but his feeble chip was easily collected by Flekken. That set up a nervy final few minutes for the away side, as The Bees were starting to throw the kitchen sink at Villa.
Five minutes were added on, and still Brentford pressed for an equaliser, bringing on Kim Ji-soo. Aston Villa were starting to show signs of fatigue and they swapped Rogers for Donyell Malen. In the dying seconds, Mbeumo broke clear down the right and he tried to pick out Wissa on the penalty spot, but Olsen came out a claimed the ball well.
Aston Villa saw out the remaining moments relatively comfortably, meaning they’ve broken their curse of continuously losing after a Champions league game. The result means that Brentford haven’t won at home in seven matches, as they remain in 12th position. Villa are now two points off of the Champions League spots, and can look forward to their second leg match against Club Brugge midweek with a 3-1 advantage.
The lineups
BRE: Flekken; Ajer, Collins, Pinnock, Lewis-Potter; Nørgaard, Janelt; Mbeumo, Damsgaard, Schade; Wissa
AVI: Olsen; Disasi, Konsa, Mings, Digne; McGinn, Tielemans; Bailey, Rogers, Ramsey; Watkins