By the time the man who used to be the second most expensive footballer in history came on, it didn’t matter. In the right way, admittedly, because Aston Villa were four goals to the good. That didn’t change in a cameo of 11 touches, seven passes, three of which were misplaced.
The other four of Aston Villa’s infamous five had started and sparkled. Philippe Coutinho was the odd man out as Brentford were beaten 4-0. Leon Bailey, in surely his best performance for Villa, Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins all scored. Emi Buendia was granted the central creator’s role that could have been Coutinho’s. At least the result, Villa’s joint largest victory since the 7-2 demolition of Liverpool, meant they were no longer the division’s second-lowest scorers and he was not a substitute for a team in the relegation zone. His brief outing nonetheless extended his recent record to a lone goal and no assists in 22 games.
