We may still be in the early throes of the Premier League season, but there is clearly a lot to like about Unai Emery’s Aston Villa. Legend has it that the team they brushed aside here switched to their present colours of claret and blue in 1910 out of respect for Villa, who were then the champions of England.
It would be an overstatement to call Villa title challengers these days. But there is certainly an argument that Burnley showed their opponents too much respect, and that it was decisive in securing back‑to‑back league victories for Villa, while consigning the hosts to a second successive defeat since returning to the top flight.
Emery’s side are making an early claim as the league’s great entertainers, too. Their three games have included 14 goals and, after being humbled 5-1 on the opening weekend at Newcastle, they have now scored seven in their past two, conceding one. Here their quality carved Burnley open all too often and the margin of victory could have been greater.
Two goals from Matty Cash on his 100th Villa appearance and another from the outstanding Moussa Diaby were ultimately enough to secure victory, though. “It’s more difficult away than at home but we were focused, we were consistent and we were strong,” Emery said.
Cash had scored only four times in his previous 99 Villa appearances and his two goals in this game were the culmination of two fantastic passages of play. Villa’s midfield trio of Douglas Luiz, Boubacar Kamara and John McGinn were irrepressible on occasions. The thought of adding Nicolò Zaniolo, who impressed when he came on, to that mix is a mouthwatering one.
Burnley conceded after four minutes in their opening match against Manchester City and it took only eight for Villa to break the deadlock. McGinn’s defence-splitting pass released Ollie Watkins who chipped back across goal, allowing Cash to tap into an empty net after James Trafford had rushed out to close down Watkins.
The hosts responded with some pressure of their own but they lacked the precision in attack to trouble Villa. So when the visitors burst forward with gusto again midway through the half and Cash doubled the lead after some magnificent interplay between himself and Diaby, you feared the worst for the Vincent Kompany’s side.
For Burnley, this was a more effective yardstick in terms of the step up in quality required this season. The defeat by Manchester City offered little in the way of what to expect given the calibre of the opposition and the positive for Kompany was the fact they posed a good Villa side problems on occasions.
But the ruthlessness of Villa’s counterattacking underlined how easy it is to be punished at this level. “Learning comes at a price in the Premier League,” Kompany said afterwards. “You could see the quality of the Villa team in the way they took their chances, so credit to them. We’re there in parts, but when you get punished you have to learn from it.”
They certainly improved after falling 2-0 behind. There were moments of promise but it was perhaps no surprise when Kompany changed things tactically at the break, and it had an instant reward. Johann Gudmundsson was brought on and within 30 seconds of the restart, Burnley had halved the deficit.
The goal came via Lyle Foster, who span Pau Torres well in the box before firing past Robin Olsen. Suddenly Turf Moor was alive, and the hosts continued to pile on the pressure. But just as Burnley were pressing, you always wondered if Villa could strike on the break with the game stretched, and the hour mark provided another decisive moment.
As Burnley surged forward, Villa sprung on the counter through McGinn’s superb ball for Lucas Digne. The full-back cut back superbly on the angle for Diaby, who struck a fine finish past Trafford. It was a goal that came at a critical time, and knocked the wind out of Burnley’s sails.
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The greater moments belonged to Villa in the final quarter too, with Diaby’s strike restoring some semblance of control for the visitors. His final act before being substituted was a wonderful cross for Watkins, who was denied by Trafford, before Zaniolo’s surging run after being introduced from the bench produced another smart save from Trafford.
They were opportunities to add further gloss to the scoreline for Villa but the outcome had already been decided. Promising signs for Burnley? Yes, but for Villa supporters another tantalising look at what this season could have in store.
