Aston Villa Bounce Back, Beat Brentford 3-1 at Home

Aston Villa ended an eight-match winless run in the Premier League with a dominant 3-1 victory over Brentford at Villa Park. The win was a relief for manager Unai Emery, whose team had not secured a win since October. Villa took the lead with a superb curling strike from Morgan Rogers, who found the top corner from outside the box. Ollie Watkins doubled the lead shortly after with a penalty, awarded after he was fouled by Ethan Pinnock.

Brentford enjoyed possession early on but fell further behind when Matty Cash powered home Rogers’ cross. Villa continued to dominate, and though Brentford goalkeeper Mark Flekken made crucial saves, the visitors struggled to break through. In the second half, Mikkel Damsgaard pulled a goal back for the Bees with a close-range strike but Flekken’s efforts kept the scoreline from growing.

Jhon Duran had two late chances saved by Flekken as Villa sealed the win, moving up to seventh in the table. The victory was a much-needed boost for Aston Villa, who had struggled with finishing in recent matches. Watkins was a key figure scoring his 36th Premier League goal at Villa Park and Rogers continued his fine form with a fourth goal of the season. Villa ended the match with 20 attempts, their highest this season.

For Brentford, their poor away form continued, extending their winless run at Villa Park to 10 matches. Despite a bright start, they lacked a cutting edge and were unable to recover after Villa’s first-half onslaught. Brentford will look to improve their away performances when they face Newcastle next.