Aston Villa forged another second-half comeback as they defeated Wolves 3-1 to continue their fine start to the Premier League season.
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Gary O’Neil’s men were much the better team throughout the first half at Villa Park, and took the lead through Matheus Cunha.
But Villa, like they did against Everton last week, fought back and completed a superb turnaround.
Ollie Watkins restored parity before Ezri Konsa finished smartly to give Unai Emery’s side the lead in the 88th minute.
In-form Jhon Duran put the result beyond all doubt in stoppage time as Villa climbed into third place on 12 points, while winless Wolves slumped to the foot of the table.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
11 | +15 | 28 |
| 2 |
Man City
MCI
|
11 | +9 | 23 |
| 3 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
11 | +8 | 19 |
| 4 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
11 | +6 | 19 |
| 5 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
11 | +5 | 19 |
| 6 |
Brighton
BHA
|
11 | +4 | 19 |
How the match unfolded
After a scrappy opening 25 minutes, Wolves made the breakthrough when Cunha intercepted a poor pass from Villa defender Diego Carlos before striking a fierce shot that beat Emiliano Martinez and went in via the near post.
The visitors only grew in confidence after the goal, with Rayan Ait-Nouri nearly doubling their advantage as he hooked a volley just wide from inside the box.
Wolves goalkeeper Sam Johnstone did not have a single save to make in the opening 45 minutes but Villa began to make inroads after the break, with Yerson Mosquera – who later needed to be taken off on a stretcher due to a head injury – clearing off the line from Watkins.
Villa’s striker was not to be denied a second time, though, as he received a neat pass from Morgan Rogers before his finish deflected in off Craig Dawson.
The comeback was complete when Konsa flew in to meet Youri Tielemans’ cross, and there was further delight for the home faithful when Duran slotted into an empty net after more good work from Rogers four minutes into 13 minutes of stoppage time.
Villa roar back to recover from European hangover
It had been an emotional and demanding week for Emery’s men, following a 3-0 victory over Young Boys in their first match in Europe’s top club competition in four decades, and the death of much-loved former player Gary Shaw.
Shaw was honoured before the match but Villa’s midweek exploits were perhaps a major reason for a listless first-half display, in which they did not register a shot on target and ceded possession to Wolves consistently.
Emery made changes at half-time, introducing Leon Bailey and Ian Maatsen, and the Jamaican Bailey proved a big difference down the right, stretching the game and proving to be a real outlet.
Rogers and Watkins combined well for the equaliser, and Emery will be delighted to see Duran back on the scoresheet once again.
Villa are flying high, level on points with Liverpool and Arsenal. They face Wycombe Wanderers in the EFL Cup in midweek, before taking on Ipswich Town on 29 September.
Wolves wait for elusive first win
Despite their poor form heading into the encounter, with just one win in their last 14 league games stretching back to last season, Wolves were well-organised from the moment the match began, not allowing any Villa players much space to manoeuvre in the centre and limiting the attacking runs made from the likes of Watkins and Rogers.
But they struggled to contain the pair after the interval, and played most of the final 20 minutes in their own half, with the likes of Mario Lemina and Andre tiring in midfield, as their resistance was ultimately broken in the closing stages.
Wolves, who will also have concerns over the extent of the damage suffered by Mosquera, will look for their first win of the season from their sixth attempt next week, as they host Liverpool next Saturday.
Club reports
What the managers said:
Unai Emery: "We were suffering in the first half but the second half was completely different. I am very happy because we won. It was very important we changed our energy and we played to win in the second half."
Gary O'Neil: "The first half we played very well. No team comes here and wins at a canter. It was not like they were banging the door down. But when we need to fight we need to do it better. The lads are finding out the hard way you cannot play well for a bit."
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Key facts
Villa’s Durán has now scored nine Premier League goals across 719 minutes played in the competition, an average of one every 80 minutes; among players to have scored at least two goals in the competition, only Erling Haaland has averaged a better rate (1 goal every 79 minutes).
Cunha’s opening goal was his first in the Premier League against Villa, in what was his fourth match against them, with the Villans becoming the 10th different side he has netted against in the competition for Wolves.
Villa have now won each of their last two Premier League matches in which they trailed at half-time, as often as in their previous 99 top-flight matches in which they were behind at the interval combined (D11 L86).
Wolves have now picked up three first-half yellow cards in each of their last two Premier League away matches; previously, they hadn’t received as many in the first half of a top-flight match since February 2012 (3 v Queens Park Rangers).