Dango Ouattara Sinks Aston Villa As Brentford Give Keith Andrews First Win

Two concerned sets of fans descended connected westbound London connected Saturday aft what they had witnessed from their respective teams connected nan opening time of nan season. Now location is one.

Never earlier had Brentford played a competitory lucifer astatine nan Gtech Community Stadium without Thomas Frank astatine nan helm, and location are bound to beryllium doubts complete his improbable successor Keith Andrews. This lion-hearted triumph complete European-standard guidance deserves to allay a adjacent information of them.

Any neutral whitethorn good person identified Aston Villa arsenic nan amended footballing squad for ample periods of nan match. The visitors dominated possession by a sizeable separator (76% to 24%), and nan crippled was overwhelmingly played to their tune. But nan champion squad does not needfully win, and Brentford were afloat deserving of each 3 points, which came courtesy of club-record signing Dango Ouattara connected debut. Indeed, it could – and possibly should – person been much comfortable were it not for a debatable disallowed goal.

Villa’s problems are evident. Unai Emery has admitted location is “still activity to do” successful nan transportation model and this conclusion will only person strengthened his desperation to bolster his attacking ranks.

How he will person wished he had immoderate of Jacob Ramsey, Leon Bailey, Marcus Rashford aliases Marco Asensio to bring on. All 4 person departed since nan extremity of past season, and nary magnitude of huff aliases puff came vaguely adjacent to blowing Brentford’s defence down.

For each that Villa looked worryingly blunt, Brentford’s well-drilled capacity was a testament to Andrews, a man taking nan first babe steps of his managerial career.

Convention suggests his squad whitethorn find themselves successful a relegation scrap aft losing their inspirational manager, skipper and champion player, while Yoane Wissa continues to beryllium excluded from nan squad arsenic he does each he tin to unit a move away.

Jordan Henderson dominated successful midfield connected his first commencement for Brentford. Photograph: Rob Newell/CameraSport/Getty Images

A pitiful opening-day conclusion astatine Nottingham Forest adhered to that narrative, but 4 changes to nan starting XI yielded important improvement. If this was what Brentford will look for illustration this play past they should beryllium alright.

Battling for everything connected his first start, location is an unmistakable consciousness that Jordan Henderson will beryllium instrumental to each they do, hurrying, harrying and bellowing his measurement to midfield dominance. Add to that nan hugely influential attacking duo of Mikkel Damsgaard, absent from their first crippled for nan commencement of his child, and debutant Ouattara. Both had nan shot successful nan nett successful nan opening half, albeit only 1 extremity stood.

Ouattara’s opener was route-one perfection, started from nan footwear of Caoimhín Kelleher, helped connected by Igor Thiago’s halfway-line header, and completed by nan erstwhile Bournemouth man aft beating Pau Torres successful a ft race. The returning Emi Martínez managed to support retired his first effort, but nan shot ricocheted disconnected Matty Cash and backmost into Ouattara’s way to slot location astatine nan 2nd attempt.

Damsgaard was denied what would person been a awesome extremity conscionable earlier half-time, erstwhile his thunderous decorativeness into nan tile of nan nett from 15 yards was ruled retired for a foul connected a flapping Martínez – nether minimal unit from Nathan Collins – successful nan buildup.

Having mustered conscionable 3 shots successful their drab goalless tie pinch Newcastle past weekend, Villa did astatine slightest frighten much here, astatine slightest numerically, pinch 17 attempts. Brentford retreated deeper pinch each passing minute, but Kelleher was scarcely troubled. Two shots connected target from nan visitors told nan story.