Morgan Rogers’ superb goal set Aston Villa on their way to a commanding 3-1 home victory over Brentford, ending their eight-match winless streak in all competitions.
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Rogers, Ollie Watkins and Matty Cash were all on target in a 13-minute flurry of goals in the first half that proved decisive at Villa Park on Wednesday.
An impressive victory saw Unai Emery’s side end their alarming recent run of form, which had included collecting just two points from their last five Premier League games.
A long-range strike from Rogers midway through the first half broke the deadlock, and Watkins swiftly doubled the lead with a penalty kick he had won himself.
Cash’s thumping volley stretched the advantage further, with Mikkel Damsgaard’s second-half strike only proving to be a consolation for Brentford, who continue to struggle away from home.
The hosts return to the Premier League’s top half in seventh place on 22 points – two more than Thomas Frank’s side, who slip to ninth.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 |
Brighton
BHA
|
14 | +3 | 23 |
| 6 |
Fulham
FUL
|
14 | +2 | 22 |
| 7 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
14 | 0 | 22 |
| 8 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
14 | -1 | 22 |
| 9 |
Bournemouth
BOU
|
14 | +2 | 21 |
| 10 |
Spurs
TOT
|
14 | +13 | 20 |
How the match unfolded
Villa took the lead in spectacular fashion in the 21st minute as Rogers exchanged passes with Watkins before whipping a delicious 20-yard effort into the top corner.
The hosts doubled their advantage seven minutes later when Watkins, who was fouled by Ethan Pinnock, just about beat Mark Flekken from the penalty spot, despite the Brentford goalkeeper getting a hand to the shot.
It was three in the 34th minute when Rogers’ cross to the far post evaded Watkins but was volleyed in from a tight angle by Cash.
Flekken denied Lucas Digne and Watkins shortly after the break before Brentford pulled one back in the 54th minute, as Damsgaard fired into the roof of the net from close range.
However, it was Villa who went closest to scoring next. Watkins and substitute Jhon Duran both called Flekken into action in the closing stages, while the returning Tyrone Mings headed just over from a corner.
Nevertheless, the two-goal buffer was enough to get a much-needed win on the board, condemning the Bees to a first defeat in four matches.
Villa’s drought is over
Heading into this showdown without a win in eight matches across all competitions, Villa’s confidence had taken a knock in recent times.
Emery’s side have been unable to build on their early-season momentum, but they received two timely boosts ahead of this game, with Emiliano Martinez fit to start in goal despite sustaining a hairline fracture in his hand that forced him off at half-time against Chelsea on Sunday. Meanwhile, in the heart of defence, Mings made his first Premier League start since August 2023.
At the other end of the pitch, Villa’s dangerous counter-attacks were crucial for two of their goals.
Boubacar Kamara’s neat pirouette in the heart of midfield suddenly turned defence into attack and led to Rogers’ opener.
Then, for the third goal, John McGinn led the charge with a surging run almost half the length of the pitch, before Rogers’ cross was buried by Cash for his first goal of the season.
Those two strikes sandwiched Watkins’ fifth strike in as many matches against his former club. After netting for only the second time in nine games overall, the England forward will hope that acts as a springboard.
Brentford continue to struggle on their travels
Though unbeaten in three matches and on a high after thumping Leicester City last time out, Brentford have only collected one of their 20 points this season away from home.
That is the joint-worst away record in the league along with bottom-of-the-table Southampton, and it was another poor display on their travels here, meaning they have now failed to win in all 10 of their league trips to Villa Park.
It briefly looked like they might be in with a chance of ending that wait when Kevin Schade – Saturday’s hat-trick hero against Leicester – saw his low drive deflect narrowly wide.
However, it proved a false dawn with Villa’s clinical display in front of goal effectively ending the match as a contest after 34 minutes.
Flekken came to their rescue with some smart saves to prevent the defeat from being even heavier, and although they did pull a goal back through Damsgaard’s well-taken effort, a comeback never looked likely.
The Bees struggled to build any momentum off the back of their goal early in the second half, and continued struggles on the road are a cause for concern. Fortunately for Frank, two of their next three league games are on home soil and his side remain well-placed in the top half.
Club reports
Villa report | Brentford report
What the managers said:
Unai Emery: “We did very well over 90 minutes, particularly in the first 30 minutes when we scored three goals. But it was not a moment to relax for us, because we drew 3-3 against them last season. Today the defence did a fantastic job. Tyrone Mings cleared some very good balls in the box."
Thomas Frank: “I think Villa were clearly the better side and they deserved to win. They hit a high level and we didn’t hit a high level. Sometimes you need that quality action from your key players – we didn’t have that today."
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Key facts
Since Unai Emery was appointed Aston Villa manager in November 2022, only Erling Haaland (58) and Mohamed Salah (46) have struck more Premier League goals than Watkins (39).
Brentford have failed to win any of their last seven away Premier League games (D1 L6), the second-longest ongoing run amongst current sides after Southampton (14).
Aston Villa have lost just one of their last 12 home Premier League games (W5 D6), scoring 2+ goals in nine of those matches. In that run Villa have now only kept two clean sheets, however.
Cash has now scored seven Premier League goals during his career, the joint-most amongst Polish internationals in the competition’s history, alongside Jan Bednarek (7).
