Alious
Aston Villa returned to winning ways in the Premier League, securing a commanding 3-1 victory against Fulham, who finished with 10 men. The match featured multiple dramatic turns, beginning with Fulham taking an early lead through Raul Jimenez, who notched his fifth goal of the season in just the fifth minute. Villa, coming off two consecutive draws in domestic competition, found themselves trailing early.
The lead was short-lived, however, as Morgan Rogers, fresh from England Under-21 duty, leveled the score in the ninth minute with a fortunate deflection off Calvin Bassey that wrong-footed Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno. The initial goal had come from impressive play by Jimenez, who had latched onto a long ball from Leno and showed strength to outmuscle Pau Torres before finishing with his weaker left foot.
A crucial moment came when VAR awarded Fulham a penalty after Jimenez’s header struck Matty Cash’s hand. However, Andreas Pereira’s spot-kick was comfortably saved by Emi Martinez, known for his penalty-saving prowess. Villa might have taken the lead before halftime, but Rogers couldn’t capitalize on an open goal opportunity.
The second half saw Villa assert their dominance, with Ollie Watkins putting them ahead through a powerful header from Youri Tielemans’ corner, the ball going in off the underside of the crossbar. The game’s complexion changed significantly when Fulham’s Joachim Andersen received a red card for fouling Watkins as the last defender. Villa capitalized on their numerical advantage when Lucas Digne’s cross deflected off substitute Issa Diop for an own goal, securing their third. The match ended with both teams reduced to 10 men after Villa substitute Jaden Philogene received a second yellow card for pushing Reiss Nelson in stoppage time.
Alious
