Aston Villa 3 Bournemouth 1: Villans take huge step towards Champions League with comeback days after Lille heroics
VILLA’S shattered stars ended the day on their knees, exhausted following their heroics here and in Lille.
But by full-time every Villa fan inside Villa Park was on their feet, roaring their appreciation of their weary wonders!
Take a bow Unai Emery and his battling heroes, who summoned the strength to come from behind and snatch three crucial points to go six clear of Spurs.
Things looked bleak for the Conference League semi-finalists when Dominic Solanke fired the Cherries in front from the penalty spot.
But Morgan Rogers levelled in first-half stoppage-time to breathe new life into Emery’s men and Ollie Watkins and Leon Bailey finished Bournemouth off after the break.
It means if Villa can beat Chelsea next Saturday they will open up a nine-point gap over Ange Postecoglou‘s men, who face Arsenal the following day.
Emery’s boys were always going to be weary and leggy following their 120 minutes plus penalties drama in Lille, which would have sucked the life out of most teams.
So it was a smart move on the part of the club to change the first team coach’s usual route to Villa Park.
This took it down Trinity Road where thousands of cheering Villa fans had converged to give their heroes a rowdy welcome – flares and all – to inject fresh life into those weary limbs.
Once inside the ground those in Villa’s Holte End really did try to live up to the banner they proudly display at every home game.
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They sang themselves hoarse: “Emi Martinez, the World’s No.1,” rang out all around the famous old ground.
It worked a treat because Villa started on the front foot, intent on getting off to a good start while there was still freshness in their limbs.
Moussa Diaby set up Ollie Watkins whose shot was blocked by Illia Zabarnyi.
John McGinn fired an angled effort well wide following a short corner from Leon Bailey.
And the Jamaican wing king delivered a deliciously teasing cross which just evaded Pau Torres.
But Bournemouth weathered the expected early blitzkrieg and Martinez had to show his class to keep out a venomous effort from Justin Kluivert which stung his outstretched palm.
Lloyd Kelly then picked out Dango Ouattara at the back post but the Burkina Faso international fired into the side netting.
Bournemouth were now in the ascendancy and they took the lead just after the half hour mark – ironically in this week of all weeks – from the penalty spot!
Kluivert engaged Matty Cash before slipping the ball to his left where Milos Kerkez was overlapping.
Cash, Villa’s hero in Lille took the bait, dived in and sent the wide man tumbling.
That left Dominic Solankje with one of the most unappealing jobs in football – trying to beat Emi Martinez from the spot.
The Argentine was up to his usual tricks trying to psyche him out, whipping the Holte End into a frenzy.
They responded by chanting their Martinez mantra over and over again.
Fully three minutes had passed between the penalty being awarded and being taken.
But to his credit Solanke showed nerves of steel to fire the ball to Martinez’s right, just high enough to evade his left glove.
“You’re just a s**t Ollie Watkins,” jeered Villa fans.
Cash tried to make up for his blunder with a rasping right footer which whistled just wide from 25 yards.
Then Zabarnyi rode his luck with a blatant push on Watkins in the box which could easily have earned the striker a tit-for-tat penalty.
But Villa summoned up one final push before the break and were rewarded with an equaliser.
Bailey produced a stunning pass to Morgan Rogers with the outside of his right boot and the 21-year-old expertly chopped inside Adam Smith before lashing the ball high into the roof of the net.
It was a stunning strike and it revitalised Villa who ended the half with McGinn and Tielemans bickering after the Belgian failed to deliver the ball into the middle before the half-time whistle blew.
Villa’s tails were up now and after Watkins fired a couple of harmless efforts at Neto, they finally hit the front.
Rogers played in Watkins who chopped inside Zabarnyi and rolled an inch-perfect pass across the face of goal for Diaby to side-foot past Neto from seven yards.
Bailey then sent Watkins clear with a stunning 40 yard pass with the outside of his boot but the striker shot wide.
However Villa grabbed a two-goal cushion when Diaby held off Max Aarons to feed Watkins who rounded Neto and Bailey made sure to poke the striker’s shot over the line.
Emery punched the air over and over again in delight.
Bournemouth were denied a late lifeline when Martinez beat out Semenyo’s shot and Enes Unal netted the rebound – but he was flagged for offside.
But there are no signs of Villa flagging and they left the field to an ovation from their 12th man in the stands!