Highlights, report and reaction: Aston Villa 3 Brentford 1
Brentford Loses 3-1 To Aston Villa In Premier League
Thomas Frank made a couple of adjustments to the lineup that won 4-1 against Leicester City just four days prior, as Mathias Jensen and Christian Nørgaard were sidelined due to minor injuries.
Yehor Yarmoliuk earned his second start in the Premier League this season, while Vitaly Janelt was also included in the starting lineup. Meanwhile, Jayden Meghoma and Ryan Trevitt were placed on the substitute bench.
After recently scoring three goals and providing an assist in the win against the Foxes, Kevin Schade was the first to threaten the goal just over five minutes into the match. Following a successful steal of the ball from Boubacar Kamara by Janelt, the German player took a shot from the edge of the penalty box that just skimmed past the bottom corner.
Villa had a few chances as well, starting with a tricky cross from Lucas Digne that just missed John McGinn at the far post. Then, goalkeeper Mark Flekken made a save on a shot from former player Watkins, who struck it with his foot.
The hosts took the lead after 21 minutes. Following a quick counterattack, Rogers struck a shot that bent into the top corner of Flekken's goal from just outside the penalty area.
Flekken was called into action again not long after, when the Bees’ goalkeeper made a great save from Leon Bailey’s shot with his right foot. However, Rogers ended up sending the rebound well over the goal.
Midway through the half, Villa received a great chance to increase their advantage when Ethan Pinnock was deemed to have fouled Watkins in the penalty area. The center-back was also shown a yellow card for the incident. Watkins then got back on his feet and calmly converted the penalty, sending the ball just past the outstretched hand of Flekken to his left side.
By the 34th minute, the score had risen to 3-0. Pinnock made a crucial deflection with his header off Rogers’ delicate cross from the left side, but Cash was perfectly positioned to strike a volley into the net at the back post.
Schade connected with a curling corner from Damsgaard as Frank's team sought to regain their footing in the match, but his header soared over the crossbar.
Watkins had a chance to score again just before halftime, but Flekken managed to touch his shot over the crossbar.
McGinn sent a volley wide of the near post in the first chance of the second half for the home team. Shortly after, Flekken quickly moved across the goal to deflect a header from Watkins that was aimed at the bottom corner.
Damsgaard scored one goal for the Bees just under 10 minutes into the second half.
A fantastic challenge from Pinnock won the ball back in midfield, and it was quickly passed over to Bryan Mbeumo on the right. Mbeumo delivered a threatening cross intended for Schade, but Cash managed to clear it, though only as far as Damsgaard. Damsgaard then moved in from the edge of the area, evaded a defender, and shot the ball into the top corner from close range.
Just three minutes later, a poorly directed backpass allowed Watkins to get a chance on goal, but Flekken managed to stop the striker's low shot using his legs.
Paris Maghoma made his Brentford debut when he entered the game halfway through the second half.
Igor Thiago, who came on as a substitute in the second half, had a fantastic chance to narrow the score shortly after entering the game. However, after being set up by Mbeumo and finding himself behind the defense, the Brazilian player sent the ball soaring over the crossbar.
As Brentford kept trying to get back into the match, Villa aimed to seal their victory at the opposite end. Flekken stepped up again, making a solid save to stop Jhon Durán.
As the game approached the final 10 minutes, Tyrone Mings made a crucial block, redirecting Fábio Carvalho's powerful shot out for a corner kick.
Flekken saved a solid shot from Durán taken from inside the penalty area with just five minutes left, but it didn't change the outcome as Villa managed to secure the three points.
Aston Villa's lineup featured Martínez as the goalkeeper, with Cash, Konsa, Mings, and Digne forming the defensive line. In midfield, Kamara made way for Barkley in the 71st minute, while Tielemans held his position. Bailey was substituted by Philogene in the 65th minute, McGinn was replaced by Maatsen in the 87th, and Rogers made way for Buendía also in the 87th minute. Up front, Watkins came off for Duran in the 65th minute.
Unused substitutes: Olsen, Carlos, Buendía, Pau, Bogarde
Brentford's lineup included Flekken in goal, with van den Berg, Collins, Pinnock, and Lewis-Potter in defense (Roerslev substituted in at the 80th minute). In midfield, they had Yarmoliuk (who was replaced by Maghoma in the 64th minute), Janelt, and Damsgaard. Up front, Schade was substituted for Carvalho in the 71st minute, while Wissa was replaced by Thiago, also at the 71-minute mark, and Mbeumo completed the attacking trio.
Unused substitutes: Valdimarsson, Mee, Meghoma, Konak, Trevitt.
Frank: We Fell Short Of Our Peak Performance
Brentford's manager, Thomas Frank, shared his thoughts on the team's 3-1 loss to Aston Villa on Wednesday evening.
"We didn't reach our peak today," he remarked.
"We went up against a strong Aston Villa team, and it was clear to see the gap between our two sides. Their performance highlighted why they’re competing in the Champions League while we are not, sadly."
"I believe we have more to offer than what we demonstrated today, which is what makes it frustrating. However, we went up against a team that performed exceptionally well."
"They scored the opening goal, thanks to an impressive move by [Morgan] Rogers, who is an outstanding player, I must say. Then came the penalty, which I'm not convinced was actually a foul. However, we can't blame our defeat on that alone; they simply outperformed us throughout the entire match."
"We weren't successful in managing the transitions effectively, which led to us losing possession of the ball in some instances."
"The good news is that we performed better in the second half, but we still didn’t come very close to achieving a result."
Damsgaard: We Complicated Things For Ourselves
Striker Mikkel Damsgaard acknowledged that the Bees put themselves in a challenging position during the second half at Villa Park.
"It was a challenging first half," the Danish midfielder stated. "We performed reasonably well with the ball, but they really took advantage of us on the counterattacks. We need to be faster to respond, get back quickly, and prevent those counter situations—even if it means committing a foul at times."
Many players were chatting during the half-time break, emphasizing the need for improvement. They acknowledged that the second half would be challenging, but we needed to showcase our skills. I believe we managed to do just that.
"I believe we performed better in the second half, but it's tough to recover from being down 3-0."
"I was optimistic that my objective could spark some change, but it didn't happen. In the second half, we aimed to be more aggressive, but our struggles in the first half made it difficult."
