Duran nets goal again as Aston Villa beat Wycombe in EFL Cup
A heavily rotated Aston Villa secured their place in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup, despite delivering a lackluster performance against League One side Wycombe Wanderers.
Unai Emery’s second-string squad struggled to make an impact until Emiliano Buendía’s looping header in the 56th minute gave the Premier League side the lead.
Emery made 10 changes, but the lineup still featured Ian Maatsen, whose last competitive start was for Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final in June, and Jhon Duran.
Duran, who has been in excellent form as a substitute this season with four goals in five Premier League appearances, missed a clear chance early on, firing wide when through on goal. However, he eventually made it 2-0 in the 85th minute from the penalty spot after being brought down.
Wycombe showed energy and created opportunities, with Kieran Sadlier shooting straight at goalkeeper Joe Gauci, who looked shaky on his senior debut. Garath McCleary also tested Gauci before Duran sealed Villa’s second.
Wycombe did manage a late consolation goal when substitute Richard Kone scored in stoppage time.
Villa’s fringe players struggle to impress
With Aston Villa competing in the Champions League this season, Unai Emery made it clear ahead of the match that the EFL Cup was not a high priority.
Just last week, they were in Switzerland for a Champions League fixture, and next Wednesday, they host Bayern Munich in what promises to be an electrifying night at Villa Park.
Despite their strong performances in the Premier League and Europe, Villa struggled to overcome Wycombe in their first EFL Cup game of the season.
The League One side deserves credit for putting up a fight and fully earned their late consolation goal.
Villa’s performance was sluggish, and they will need to improve if they hope to progress further in the competition as they chase their first major trophy since winning the League Cup in 1996.
Their efforts were further complicated when Brazilian defender Diego Carlos sustained an injury during the warm-up, leading to a last-minute adjustment to an already young and inexperienced bench.
Player of the Match: J. Low.