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UNAI EMERY’S Villa avoided a festive fiasco by dominating Brentford, ending their eight-match streak without a win.
Emery had never faced a run of nine or more matches without a victory in his managerial career spanning over 1,000 games.
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By the time half-time arrived, Emery knew his dismal run was over, and he had secured three much-needed points as the Bees faltered.
Brentford has been strong at home, where they have amassed 19 of their 20 points this season.
However, Thomas Frank‘s team often struggles away from home!
By halftime, they were trailing 3-0 as Villa dominated, steering their shaky season back on track.
Blonde sensation Morgan Rogers, sporting a chic new platinum look, scored the impressive opener midway through the first half.
The England midfielder received a pass from Boubacar Kamara, pushed forward, exchanged quick passes with Ollie Watkins, and curled a beautiful strike past Mark Flekken from the edge of the box.
This was a splendid start, and it was clear Villa’s appetite had returned as they exploited Brentford’s vulnerable defense.
Ollie Watkins proved to be a constant threat, causing significant problems for the Bees throughout the match.
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Just before the 30-minute mark, he sprinted onto a through ball from Leon Bailey and managed to evade Ethan Pinnock, who accidentally clipped his heel and sent him crashing to the ground.
Referee Lewis Smith took a moment to consider before awarding a penalty, a decision upheld by VAR.
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Watkins composed himself and expertly converted the penalty; despite Flekken getting a touch on it, he could not stop Ollie from scoring for the fifth consecutive match against his former club.
Matty Cash further piled on the misery with Villa’s third goal, seizing upon a deflected header from Pinnock to volley brilliantly past Flekken.
Brentford claimed that Watkins was offside and interfered with play by forcing Pinnock to stretch for the clearance.
However, VAR official Nick Hopton confirmed the referee’s original decision, culminating in a dismal first half for Frank’s team.
Villa almost extended their lead again when Flekken mismanaged a corner from Youri Tielemans, punching the ball high into the air before having to frantically punch it away again as it threatened to go over the line.
He redeemed himself with a splendid diving save, preventing Watkins’ header from scoring.
Brentford found a brief moment of pride when Mikkel Damsgaard capitalized on a half-clearance from Matty Cash, cutting in on Kamara before striking high into the roof of Emi Martinez‘s goal.
Despite the Bees pushing for more, it was clear that this was Villa’s night.
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