Aston Villa 3 Fulham 1 - Report

After a dismal start to the Premier League season which had seen Villa score just once in their first five matches, they plundered three in 14 minutes against Fulham to claim their first win of a league campaign which finally, six weeks in, feels up and running.

For the first time since May, Villa looked like the team they typically have been under Unai Emery.

The performance wasn’t perfect but for a brief period in the second half, they simply overpowered Fulham, scoring twice in the space of 120 seconds.

That was enough to claim victory against a Fulham team who for much of the first half looked well capable of securing a rare win at Villa Park.

Raul Jimenez headed them into a third minute lead and more than once, the visitors looked like adding to it.

Then Ollie Watkins finally opened his account for the season and suddenly Villa were transformed.

Emery, criticised for his decisions more in the past month than in the rest of his tenure combined, made a shrewd one at half-time by replacing Harvey Elliott with Emi Buendia.

The latter then played a role in the goal from John McGinn which put his team ahead, before then scoring himself for the first time in the Premier League in two-and-a-half years to give them breathing space. 

If you wanted an idea of how frustrating the early weeks of the season, you only needed to see the roar with which McGinn and Emery both celebrated his goal, the former roaring into the Holte End, the latter punching his fists into the air so violently, you feared his arms might fly off.

Villa might still be some way off the team either the skipper or the manager desires them to be but for the first time this season, supporters headed home with genuine optimism for what is ahead.

Emery made six changes from the team which claimed Thursday’s rather tense 1-0 win over Bologna, with Emi Martinez appearing for the first time this season at Villa Park after recovering from muscle pain.

The Argentina international received a warm reception from the Holte End prior to kick-off though, for the first time in three years, he was not announced to the crowd as the “world’s No.1”.

Within three minutes he was picking the ball out of the net. Sasa Lukic swung in a corner, Jimenez escaped the attentions of Lamare Bogarde and met the ball at the near post, glancing his header inside the far.

The scorer seemed to be in some discomfort during the celebration and very soon his day was done with another former Wolves man, Adama Traore, replacing him off the bench.

Fulham just looked sharper in the early exchanges. Ryan Sessegnon escaped from Bogarde after the visitors had worked the ball neatly down the left and then should have done better with a shot which was sent straight at Martinez.

The visitors also had two shouts for a penalty turned down in quick succession by referee Andy Madley.

First, Josh King was shown a yellow card when, through on goal, he knocked the ball to the side of Martinez and then went directly over the keeper.

Further appeals followed when King’s goal-bound shot struck the trailing arm of Matty Cash. Neither referee Madley or video assistant Matthew Donohue saw it as a spot-kick.

By then Villa should have been level when McGinn pounced on Calvin Bassey’s loose pass but with just Leno to beat he sent his shot wide of the far post while aiming for the top corner.

Villa needed a moment of inspiration, or a Fulham mistake. Watkins’ goal was a combination of both.

Digne’s long ball should have been cut out by Joachim Andersen but the defender misjudged the flight and when it dropped it did so to Watkins, with Bassey having lost track of the striker’s run. Leno was still to beat but Watkins did so in delightful fashion, lifting the ball over the keeper and then watching as it dropped inches under the bar.

The celebrations which followed seemed motivated more by relief than anything else but Villa suddenly had life, with McGinn close to picking out Rogers with a ball over the top.

Emery’s decision to introduce Buendia at half-time in place of Harvey Elliott raised eyebrows but within six minutes the playmaker had set-up McGinn for the goal which put his team ahead, before then scoring himself for the first time in the Premier League for 925 days.

It was good harrying from Bogarde which robbed Traore of possession and Buendia quickly switched the ball to McGinn, who from just outside the D drove a blistering low shot just inside the post.

Again, there was huge emotion in the celebration, the skipper pulling away from his team-mates to roar again at the Holte as they made their way back for the restart.

Seconds later, there was another eruption. Digne, in space, picked out the run of Watkins and his pull back ended up hitting the chest of Buendia, who with no shortage of composure prodded the ball past Leno. 

Villa suddenly looked like they were going to score with every attack but it required brilliant and brave defending from Konsa to prevent Fulham quickly pulling one back.

The home side were still appealing for a penalty after Watkins tumbled in the area when Martinez lost the ball at the other end. Lukic looked certain to score but Konsa threw himself in the way of the shot, turning it wide of the post.

Fulham bossed possession in the final quarter but Martinez’s only save was from his own man, substitute Boubacar Kamara deflecting a cross straight at the keeper.

Villa (4-2-3-1): Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Mings (Torres 32), Digne, McGinn (Kamara 71), Bogarde (Lindelof 82), Guessand (Malen 83), Elliott (Buendia HT), Rogers, Watkins Subs not used: Maatsen, Sancho, Burrowes, Bizot (gk).

Fulham (4-2-3-1): Leno, Castagne, Andersen, Bassey, Sessegnon (Robinson 80), Berge, Lukic, Wilson (Chukwueze 80), King (Kevin 65), Iwobi (Smith Rowe 65), Jimenez (Traore 11) Subs not used: Reed, Cairney, Cuenca, Lecomte (gk).