Conceding a goal at the end of the first half but thanks to having an extra player from the 71st minute, Aston Villa beat Brentford 2-1 in round 17 of the Premier League to move up to second place in the table.
Visiting the Gtech Community Stadium after two consecutive impressive victories against Man City and Arsenal, Villa once again showed their "smart at home, stupid in the market" side. Unai Emery's team could not penetrate Brentford's deep and well-organized defense despite having the majority of the ball possession.
Defender Alex Moreno headed Villa's equaliser against Brentford. Photo: PA
Emery’s decision to leave out Leon Bailey was a curious one. He scored against Man City and assisted against Arsenal. As Villa struggled, cameras repeatedly panned to Bailey, who often hid in his jacket to keep an eye on his teammates.
In the 65th minute, Emery sent Bailey on. He immediately affected the match when he caused a red card for Ben Mee. Initially, the referee showed a yellow card to the Brentford midfielder. But after reviewing the VAR, he changed it to a red card. Short of players and missing an important factor in the defense, Brentford collapsed.
Goalkeeper Emi Martinez holds striker Neal Maupay's shirt at the end of the match when Aston Villa beat Brentford 2-1. Photo: Reuters
In the 77th minute, Bailey once again showed his importance with a cross to the far post for Moreno to head home, making up for his mistake in the opening goal. This match, the Spanish defender replaced the suspended Lucas Digne. At the end of the match, Moreno asked to keep the ball as a souvenir.
Eight minutes later, from a corner, Boubacar Kamara backheeled a pass for Ollie Watkins to head home from close range to seal the win. The England striker has continued his fine form this season, scoring 13 goals and providing eight assists for Villa in 23 appearances in all competitions.
After scoring, Watkins stood in the goal and made a challenging gesture towards Brentford fans. This situation sparked a scuffle between the two teams, causing the referee to issue three yellow cards as a warning. But the trouble did not stop there. From the 88th minute onwards, referee David Coote issued six more yellow cards and one red card. In which, the collision between Martinez and Neal Maupay caused players and coaches of both teams to rush at each other. Kamara ran back with the intention of stopping but was eventually given a straight red card. The match ended with a total of 12 yellow cards and two red cards. Brentford received seven yellow cards and one red card, while Villa received five yellow cards and one red card.
The dramatic win helped Villa leapfrog Liverpool into second place in the table. However, Jurgen Klopp's men will move ahead if they get a point against Man Utd. The next round promises to be an easy one for Villa as they host bottom-of-the-table Sheffield United.
Quang Huy
Source link
Comment (0)