Aston Villa bounced back from last weekend’s defeat to Liverpool with their best performance of the season on Sunday, as Unai Emery’s side thrashed Bournemouth 4-0 at Villa Park.
WATCH — Aston Villa v Bournemouth full match replay
Emi Buendia raised and dropped a fantastic free kick under the crossbar in the 28th minute and Andre Onana smashed the ball into the bottom corner from well outside the box in the 40th, just about playing Bournemouth off the park in the first half. Villa’s other Emiliano, Martinez, was the hero at the other end when he denied Antoine Semenyo from the penalty spot in the 67th.
Villa’s tails were up and Bournemouth heads were down after that, and the hosts added two more through a pair of substitutes, Ross Barkley in the 77th and Donyell Malen in the 82nd. Midfielder Youri Tielemans played his first minutes in the Premier League since Sept. 13 after missing the last six league games with a calf injury.
The victory sends Aston Villa (18 points) up to 9th in the Premier League table after winning five of their last six games, now just a point off 3rd place heading into the November international break — hardly ideal timing in Emery’s eyes. Bournemouth (18 points) slip one spot from where they began the weekend, from 7th to 8th.
What’s next?
- Bournemouth vs West Ham — Saturday, Nov. 22, 10 am ET
- Leeds vs Aston Villa — Sunday, Nov. 23, 9 am ET
Aston Villa vs Bournemouth live updates - by Andy Edwards
Aston Villa vs Bournemouth final score: 4-0
Goalscorers: Emi Buendia (28'), Amadou Onana (40'), Ross Barkley (77'), Donyell Malen (82')
GOAL! Aston Villa 4-0 Bournemouth: Malen redirects Tielemans’ shot to make it four (82')
GOAL! Aston Villa 3-0 Bournemouth: Barkley flicks a header far post (77')
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-0 Bournemouth: Onana’s thunderbolt finds the bottom corner (40')
GOAL! Aston Villa 1-0 Bournemouth: Buendia’s free kick knuckles and dips in (28')
Aston Villa starting lineup
Martinez - Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne - Onana, Kamara, Rogers - McGinn, Buendia, Watkins
Bournemouth starting lineup
Petrovic - Smith, Milosavljevic, Senesi, Truffert - Adams, Scott, Kluivert - Tavernier, Semenyo, Evanilson
How to watch Aston Villa vs Bournemouth live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 9am ET Sunday
Venue: Villa Park — Birmingham
TV Channel: USA
Streaming: Watch online via NBC.com
The Villans dispatched Maccabi Tel Aviv with relative ease in the Europa League on Thursday and their five-match winless run to start the league season feels like an aberration despite a loss at Liverpool in their last Premier League fixture.
Bournemouth are a dangerous opponent to have lying in wait. Andoni Iraola’s Cherries have only lost twice this season — Week 1 at Liverpool and Week 10 at Manchester City. They sit fourth with 18 points, three more than the 11th place Villans, and a multi-goal loss could sink the Cherries below their hosts. Yet those losses are joined by draws at Palace and Leeds to show a team more comfortable at home than away from the Vitality Stadium. The Cherries have not won a Premier League away match since Week 3 at Spurs.
Aston Villa team news, focus
OUT: Tyrone Mings (hamstring), Andres Garcia (undisclosed)
Bournemouth team news, focus
None.
Aston Villa vs Bournemouth prediction
This really could be a treat for the eyes even as it asks a lot from the hosts’ legs following the Maccabi win which saw only Matty Cash and Lucas Digne rested in full. Those fullbacks, however, have been in fine form and will challenge Bournemouth at both ends. Can Bournemouth make this a track meet, opening up space for Antoine Semenyo, Eli Junior Kroupi, and friends? Aston Villa 1-1 Bournemouth.
