This was a very satisfying Aston Villa performance. It was clinical, gritty when required but also demonstrated a verve and flair which if maintained, will do very nicely indeed.
It took Dean Smith’s side 720 minutes to reach six Premier League points last season, so reaching the same margin after just 2 games can only be considered progress.
There are also other unwanted traits that wins such as those at Craven Cottage hopefully begin to banish. Prior to the victory, Villa had taken just one point from the last thirty available when playing in the Capital.
FULHAM 0-3 VILLA
Embed from Getty ImagesThis was shock and awe[some] from Villa, striking early to leave the hosts shell-shocked inside the opening quarter.
Grealish, whose movement and close control Fulham couldn’t deal with all night, expertly finished after a deft John McGinn through ball:
Next was Conor Hourihane on 15 minutes, coolly slotting home to make it 2-0.
Villa were dominant in the first half, as Fulham looked to regain their composure having rocked badly in the opening period.
The second half started well, with Villa seeking to pick up where they’d left off.
Barely 3 minutes after the break, Mings timed a run well, getting onto the end of an inch perfect Hourihane set piece. Game. Over.
With Villa cruising, Fulham enjoyed a positive patch. Mitrovic was a threat, but spurned a number of headed opportunities.
Perhaps more jarring for our collective nerves (we Villa fans can’t be sure even at 3-0) was Reid’s dissallowed goal.
Emi Martinez, who was the penalty saving hero on his Villa Park debut against Sheffield United, failed to hold a Fulham effort from outside the box.
Whilst arguably distracted by Mings’ attempt to head clear, the Argentine ‘keeper will be relieved to see VAR chalk the effort for a foul on Konsa in the build up.
Embed from Getty ImagesVilla, after a very testing survival fight last season, look a different beast.
Ezri Konsa, still only 22, continues to grow game by game. Whilst considered a rookie back-up to Mings as recently as the turn of the year, his stock continues to rise on these types of showings.
John McGinn looked more like the pre-injury player worthy of the Scottish Football Writer’s Award. The bursts of pace and incessant harrying of the opposition was good to see.
Watkins, although without a goal in the PL as yet, is a nuisance for defences. His movement, interplay and eagerness to threaten underlines why the likes of Samatta were shown the door.
Matty Cash is also beginning to loosen and show the qualities which brought him to B6. The former Forest man was relentless, both in defensive duties but any number of forays down the flank. There are many fans of Frederic Guilbert, but in the spirit of continuous improvement, it’s understandable why Cash is getting the nod.
Though it’s obviously early days, this is refreshingly promising stuff from Villa. As any seasoned Villa supporter can attest, countless squads have travelled to Craven Cottage and not brought home 3 points.
Two wins from two is a great new beginning, and along with our consecutive EFL Cup wins; long may this form continue.
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FT: Fulham 0-3 Aston Villa
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Emi Martinez
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Matty Cash
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Matt Targett
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Ezri Konsa
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Tyrone Mings
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Douglas Luiz
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John McGinn
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Trezeguet
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Jack Grealish
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Conor Hourihane
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Ollie Watkins
Solid, professional performance today backed up with some moments of real quality by a couple of our players. Jack will again get the headlines for being an omnipresent threat to the Fulham defence, but McGinn showed signs that he is starting to get back to his menacing best and Watkins continued to show how much he can offer to our front line.
Defensively, we looked resilient and tough to break down, with our established central pairing looking composed and confident and Luiz a willing destroyer in front of them.
Happily – given the weekend’s various dramas – there was little in the way of VAR controversy in the match, although Fulham did find themselves having a goal disallowed for an apparent foul in the build up.
The team is starting to gel and click together nicely. Two clean sheets in a row in the Premier League, four wins in a row in all competitions, Stoke up next at Villa Park. Can’t wait.
Martinez ( 7 ) – cuts an imposing, confident figure in goal. He’ll be thanking VAR for calling a foul in the build up to Fulham’s disallowed goal after he spilled a long range effort, but produced a phenomenal fingertip save to tip over Bryan’s goal bound shot late in the second half and his delivery out to Watkins was pinpoint accurate.
Cash ( 7 ) – willing runner down the right to link up with our attack. I can see him causing chaos when paired with Traore. He’s clearly our first choice right back now, but ,I can also see him playing in a more advanced role with Guilbert behind him if the need arises.
Konsa ( 8 ) – Konsa found himself in a number of one-one-one situations with Mitrovic, and he kept Fulham’s danger man in his back pocket throughout. Calm and assured preformance.
Mings ( 8 ) – like his defensive partner Mings was rarely troubled, and his threat from set pieces was rewarded with a well taken goal.
Targett ( 7 ) – good all round performance from Targett tonight. Like Cash on the right was running his socks of down the flank and again showed good link up with Watkins and Grealish.
Hourihane ( 7 ) – another well taken goal to add to his Villa highlight reel and a another assist from a set piece situation. Rumours of a potential midfield arrival may suggest his position is under threat, but Conor won’t give it up without a fight.
Luiz ( 7 ) – typical battling performance from the Brazilian, protecting the back four and feeding our attacking players.
McGinn ( 8 ) – showing signs of getting back to his Super John McGinn best. Two assists on the night with a fantastic diagonal ball to Grealish for the opener. Conor pretty much nicked it off his toe for the second assist though, I’m sure he’ll have been thinking of hitting it himself.
Trezeguet ( 7 ) – working hard, covering ground, finding space and linking up well with his teammate. Almost found Ollie with a great ball across the box which was just too far in front. He’s not going to give up his spot to Traore without a fight.
Watkins ( 7 ) – signed due to our need for a clinical finisher, and he again came so close to opening his account, creating a number of good chances for himself and – just as importantly – his team mates. It’s only a matter of time before the goals start coming, but what’s even more encouraging is his all round play. Pace, trickery, vision, awareness… he was turning up on on the left, right, through the middle, looking to play in his team mates and almost released McGinn with a header. all the signs of real quality are there.
Grealish ( 8 ) – …did somebody say “real quality”? I mean, it won’t be long before we run out of superlatives for Captain Jack at this rate. His run and finish for the opener were sublime. He works so hard for the team, appearing all over the pitch, leading by example.
Subs:
Can’t really rate the brief cameos for Ramsey, Traore and Nakamba, but the fact that we stayed as positive in our approach and resilient in defence says a great desal – the game may have already been over, but coming on as like for like substitutions, the team looked just as solid and capable.