- Aston Villa’s 3-1 triumph over Luton Town at Villa Park on Sunday afternoon.
- The win propelled them into fourth place in the Premier League standings.
- Villa will try to maintain their great run when they play in the league against Nottingham Forest next Sunday.
Aston Villa’s 3-1 triumph over Luton Town at Villa Park on Sunday afternoon has propelled them into fourth place in the Premier League standings.
The game’s first goal came from John McGinn in the seventeenth minute, and the home team’s lead was extended by Moussa Diaby early in the second half.
After just over an hour, Tom Lockyer’s own goal sealed the victory and eliminated Luton, who had only managed five points from their first ten games of the season and were still in the relegation zone.
Emiliano Martinez, the Villa goalkeeper, scored an own goal late in the game after Ezri Konsa made a mistake.
How the game unfolded
John McGinn was on target at Villa Park against Luton. Photo/BBC
Nicolo Zaniolo could have given Villa the lead in the fourth minute after Diaby and Ollie Watkins combined to put him up, but his shot went well wide of the post.
Teden Mengi of Luton deflected Zaniolo’s initial attempt just wide of the post in the ninth minute, despite further excellent work by Diaby and Lucas Digne.
The home team dominated the opening portions of the game, but Luton goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski produced two superb stops in quick succession to deny Watkins.
It was expected that the hosts would score first, as McGinn skillfully found the bottom corner after winning a brief free kick on the edge of the box and advancing inside the box.
In the 20th minute, Villa had another chance to score through the threatening Zaniolo, but the Luton goalkeeper turned his near-post shot following clever play from Watkins.
Before the half, the home team had two more chances, but Douglas Luiz struck the woodwork shortly before the half, and Diaby’s goal-bound shot was stopped by Marvelous Nakamba.
Villa had threatened a second goal in the first half, and soon after the break, Diaby’s superb shot found the bottom corner after Leon Bailey had set up his colleague.
Diaby celebrating. Photo/Reuters
In the 55th minute, Watkins had a shot deflected behind for a corner, but the game ended soon after the hour when Lockyer scored a 3-0 victory for the home team by turning a Diaby cross into his own goal.
Bailey was denied a golden chance to score for Luton in the 73rd minute by a fine block from Issa Kabore. McGinn then scuffed one into Kaminski’s arms, and the visitors eventually registered in the 83rd minute thanks to an own goal from Villa goalkeeper Martinez.
Ross Barkley squandered Luton’s best opportunity to score the second goal late in the game. Konsa tried to head the ball back to the Argentine international, but it looped over him and finally landed into the back of the net off Martinez.
Next Sunday, Villa will try to maintain their great run when they play in the league against Nottingham Forest, while Luton will play Liverpool in the afternoon.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login