Aston Villa defeat Fulham to ensure best start in 26 years
Ollie Watkins netted his fifth Premier League goal of the season as Aston Villa achieved their best start to a campaign after eight games since the 1998-99 season, defeating Fulham.
Fulham took an early lead when Raul Jimenez chased down a long clearance from Bernd Leno, outmuscling last defender Pau Torres before firing a low left-footed shot into the corner of the net.
Villa equalized just four minutes later when Morgan Rogers’ 20-yard shot took a significant deflection off Calvin Bassey, wrong-footing Leno.
Shortly before the half-hour mark, Fulham were awarded a penalty after Matty Cash was adjudged to have blocked a Jimenez header with his arm. However, Emiliano Martinez saved Andreas Pereira’s weak low attempt.
Villa took control on the hour mark when England striker Watkins lost Emile Smith Rowe and powerfully headed in a corner from Youri Tielemans.
Things only worsened for Fulham when defender Joachim Andersen was sent off for bringing down Watkins, and Issa Diop then inadvertently turned a low cross from Lucas Digne into his own net.
The only blemish for Villa came with the dismissal of substitute Jaden Philogene, who received a second yellow card for a foul on Reiss Nelson in injury time.
With this victory, Villa climbed to fifth in the table, while Fulham remained in ninth place.
Watkins profits after classic Martinez
Pereira’s penalty had all the hallmarks of a classic miss: the sun in his eyes, an exaggerated stuttering run-up, a pause before striking the ball, and a weak finish marred by indecision.
Before the match, the Brazilian had made more passes in the penalty area than any other player in the Premier League, but it seems his attempt to pass the ball into the net from 12 yards after Fulham’s penalty was awarded doesn’t contribute to that tally.
Some credit must go to Martinez, however. The Argentine World Cup-winning goalkeeper delayed his dive as long as possible and wasn’t fooled by any attempts to mislead him.
Martinez was among Villa’s foreign players who did not spend the previous weeks on international duty, having been banned for two matches by FIFA due to offensive behavior during World Cup qualifiers in September.
It’s likely that the 32-year-old spent the week at Villa’s Bodymoor Heath training ground analyzing Pereira’s penalties in preparation for this situation, and his preparation paid off.
As the quintessential pantomime villain, Martinez made the most of the moment—kissing the Villa badge on his goalkeeper shirt and gesturing to the Craven Cottage crowd.
Pereira’s miss disrupted Fulham’s momentum and allowed Unai Emery’s side to seize control. Shortly after, Watkins capitalized with a typical poacher’s goal, glancing a header past Leno after making clever movement at the edge of the six-yard box.
Villa is now unbeaten in their first four away league matches for the first time since the 2006-07 season. With some long-term injured players returning to fitness, they are becoming a formidable team.
Player of the Match: M. Cash