Watkins Makes Impact as Aston Villa Overcomes Brentford to Ascend to Seventh Place

Aston Villa clinched a Premier League (PL) triumph with a 1-0 success against Brentford, marking their first win following a UEFA Champions League match since September. The Bees are now without a home victory in eight fixtures across all competitions.

This season, Villa’s performance following European matches indicated potential struggles in maintaining the momentum from their midweek round of 16 first-leg victory over Club Brugge, an apprehension that seemed valid early in the game when John McGinn lost possession within his own penalty area.

Fortunately, a challenge from Youri Tielemans thwarted Yoane Wissa’s golden opportunity. As the match progressed, Unai Emery’s side found their rhythm, with Jacob Ramsey and Leon Bailey both attempting shots before Tyrone Mings directed a Tielemans free-kick straight at Mark Flekken.

Just after the half-hour mark, Tielemans embarked on an impressive run into the box, testing Flekken from a tight angle. The subsequent corner was cleared, but Ramsey’s delivery was met by Tielemans, whose flick nearly resulted in an own goal by Ethan Pinnock.

Even though Villa were in control, it was the Bees who found the net ten minutes before halftime; however, Wissa was aware of the offside flag when he tapped in after rounding Robin Olsen.

The Villans aimed to secure their first league double over Brentford since 1947, and early in the second half, that ambition appeared within reach as Tielemans instigated a counter-attack, with Ramsey eventually finding Ollie Watkins on the flank.

Watkins cut inside, and his shot from a tight angle took a deflection off Kristoffer Ajer, beating Flekken and giving Villa the lead.

A couple of minutes later, Villa thought they had extended their lead when Watkins set up Rogers, only for VAR to rule out the goal on account of offside in the build-up.

Brentford’s attempts to respond were met with solid Villa defending, as they struggled to generate a significant chance until 20 minutes remained, when Wissa laid the ball off for Keane Lewis-Potter, whose shot struck the post from the edge of the penalty area.

In the dying moments, Kevin Scade forced a brilliant save from Olsen, while chaotic moments in the Villa box culminated in Mikkel Damsgaard firing narrowly wide. Nevertheless, Villa managed to hold onto their narrow victory, their second in the PL from the last eight matches, as Thomas Frank’s side continued their search for a win, now spanning seven games in the competition without success.

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