Aston Villa 3-1 Wolves. Aston Villa secured a thrilling late win over Wolves at Villa Park, scoring two goals in the final minutes to claim a 3-1 victory in a heated local derby. Unai Emery’s side, though sluggish in the first half, rallied to secure all three points in front of their home crowd.
Wolves dominated the opening half, capitalizing on a defensive error in the 25th minute when Matheus Cunha pounced on a sloppy pass from Diego Carlos. Cunha still had work to do, but his clinical strike off the near post gave Wolves a well-deserved lead.
Villa struggled to find their rhythm, still shaking off the effects of their midweek Champions League win. However, the hosts finally sprang to life in the 73rd minute. Ollie Watkins, who has been in fine form, latched onto a pass from Morgan Rogers and fired home a deflected shot, bringing Villa level.
With momentum firmly on their side, Villa pressed for a winner. Their persistence paid off in the 88th minute when defender Ezri Konsa met a brilliant cross from Youri Tielemans, sliding in to complete the comeback. This marked Konsa’s first goal since March, once again against Wolves.
As Wolves pushed for an equalizer in stoppage time, Villa caught them on the counter. Substitute Jhon Duran, who has been highly efficient this season despite not starting, added his fourth goal of the campaign. He tapped in another assist from Rogers, sealing the win at 3-1.
The victory marks Villa’s second consecutive league win over Wolves, a feat they haven’t achieved since the 2003-04 season. For Wolves, the defeat extends a miserable run of form, with just one win in their last 15 Premier League matches. Despite a promising start and impressive high-press tactics, Wolves failed to convert their chances, including a close effort from Rayan Ait-Nouri that narrowly missed before halftime.
Gary O’Neil’s side faces another challenging match next week, hosting Liverpool at Molineux. Wolves’ early season struggles can be partially attributed to tough fixtures, but with just one point from four games, pressure is mounting on the manager to turn things around.
Villa, meanwhile, continue their impressive Premier League campaign. This victory moves them up to third in the table, level on points with both Liverpool and Manchester City. Emery’s side has won all but one of their matches this season, with their sole loss coming in a hard-fought game against title challengers Arsenal.
The win also carried emotional significance for Villa, as it was their first home match since the passing of former player and European Cup winner Gary Shaw. Tributes were paid throughout the match, adding a poignant touch to the occasion.
Villa were forced to make a change at halftime when captain John McGinn suffered a knock and was replaced by Ian Maatsen. Despite the setback, the team rallied in the second half to secure the win.
Next up for Villa is a League Cup clash against Wycombe before they face Ipswich away in their next Premier League fixture. With their strong start to the season, Villa are proving they can grind out results, even when not at their best.
source – BBC