On a sunny afternoon when both Aston Villa and Fulham needed to win to keep their respective European aspirations alive, it was Youri Tielemans’ twelfth-minute header that secured three precious points for Unai Emery’s side. Villa bounced back impressively from the disappointment of exiting the FA Cup at the semi-final stage and the victory keeps them in the hunt for a second successive season in the Champions’ League, but Fulham faltered to leave their own hopes of Europe hanging by a thread. Marco Silva’s men were far too passive in the first period and their best spell of the match saw Ryan Sessegnon have a goal disallowed before Harry Wilson passed up a pair of presentable chances and Harrison Reed limped off to leave the Londoners down to ten men as their search for a late leveller became frantic.
Villa, far more assured on the ball and threatening in the final third, could easily have put the game to bed long before the end. The hosts benefited from some dozy defending when Tielemans tiptoed between Kenny Tete and Sander Berge to plant a header from John McGinn’s corner past Bernd Leno. The simplicity of the goal delighted Emery, but Fulham looked a step slower than their more streetwise opponents for the whole of the first half. The returning Antonee Robinson looked far from fully fit, whilst Sander Berge struggle to disrupt the rhythm dictated by Boubacar Kamara and the talismanic Tielemans in the engine room.
Morgan Rogers played several penetrating passes that almost released Ollie Watkins – and one had Leno dashing off his line to avert the danger. Tielemans, a thorn in Fulham’s side all afternoon, came close to doubling his tally when he let fly from long range but referee Rob Jones failed to spot the superb fingertip save by Leno that prevented the Belgian’s shot from nestling in the top corner. It wasn’t the only thing another atrocious official missed. Silva’s side only perked up in the dying embers of the half, with Raul Jimenez curling wide from the left edge of the area and birthday box Alex Iwobi tamely shooting straight at Emi Martinez.
Villa should have enjoyed the perfect start to the second half but Watkins, whose time in B6 might be coming to an end, somehow allowed Matty Cash’s right-wing cross to dribble under his foot rather than make the most of an open goal. Fulham were sparked into life when Sessegnon lashed a low left footed shot in the bottom corner, but the effort was immediately ruled out by Jones for handball. It seemed harsh that Fulham’s most potent goal threat was withdrawn shortly afterwards for Emile Smith Rowe, but nobody could argue that the Whites lacked creativity.
A gorgeous through ball by Iwobi put Wilson in the clear but the Welshman’s instinctive attempt at lobbing Martinez looped into the Argentinian’s arms. Another incisive pass from Rogers put Watkins in the clear, but Leno got his angles spot on to save superbly before Pau Torres failed to turn home substitute Jacob Ramsey’s cross. Wilson headed harmlessly at Martinez after a rampaging run from Calvin Bassey. Former Villa winger Adama Traore was desperate to make an impression on his old stomping ground, but couldn’t unlock the home defence – woefully miscontrolling a ball out of play shortly after coming on.
Emery’s outfit should have made the final ten minutes far less anxious for a packed home crowd. Substitute Donyell Malen missed three good chances to make sure of a twentieth straight home league win, with his final strike cannoning off the underside of the bar deep into stoppage time. By then, Fulham had used all their substitutes and finished with ten when Reed crumpled in a heap after a collision, but the visitors lacked the invention to stretched a well-drilled Villa defence. Silva could serve a touchline ban next week after being booked for asking Jones why only his players picked up yellow cards, but the Cottagers could have played until the end of Bank Holiday Monday without finding the net.
ASTON VILLA (4-2-3-1): Martinez; Cash, Maatsen (Digne 71), Konsa, Torres; Kamara, Tielemans (Barkley 83); McGinn (Onana 61), Rogers, Asensio (Ramsey 60); Watkins (Malen 71). Subs (not used): Olsen, Mings, Garcia, Bailey.
GOAL: Tielemans (12).
FULHAM (4-2-3-1): Leno; Tete (Castagne 67), A. Robinson, Andersen, Bassey; Lukic, Berge (Reed 75); R. Sessegnon (Smith Rowe 57), Wilson (Traore 67), Iwobi (Willian 67); Jimenez. Subs: Benda, Cairney, Cairney, Vinicius.
BOOKED: R. Sessegnon, Tete, Bassey, Berge.
REFEREE: Rob Jones (Merseyside).
ATTENDANCE: 42,515.
Today showed why we need to buy during the summer. Robinson clearly not fit, Jiminez (not his fault) needs support up front (Muniz no longer an option this season). Berge, all season, is adept at 5 yards sideways or back passing but not incisive going forward. It’s been a solid season but to go to the next level we need to recruit.
Silva’s right…
Marco remains a genius but I think we’ve paid the penalty for failing to recruit replacements for Palhinha and Mitrovic. There were some very tired legs out there today and it was clear that the management didn’t trust Vinicius to replace Raul.
The less said about the way we conceded the crucial goal, the better. Let’s hope Marco still wants to sign on the dotted line.
Players looked very tired. I concur Robinson is not fully fit. No alternative to Jiminez..Berg has had a few good matches but on the whole he is very slow does not get forward and seems only to be able pass sideways and backwards.Why is King and some of the other younger players included in the squad.I have not read yet any explanation for Periera’s absence. I cannot see us qualifying for Europe as our squad is not strong enough to cope with extra matches next season Lets aim to get the points that will make it the highest total we will have achieved in the Premiership.. That will prove what a great success it has been and look onwards and upwards next season with some good quality signings
Aston Villa played in the quarters of the Champions League for a reason. They are a better team by nautical miles. We were not that bad today, away from home and even with 10 players we threatened sporadically. We need to acquire 3 top players in order to comptete next season. European football might actually be a step too far at this stage, let us be patient and hope not to lose our best elements, especially the gaffer.
How can Marco Silva escape his share of the blame for this inept performance?
The guy is not infallible. Far from it.
The first half was Southampton all over again, zero attacking intent, zero penetration. At least, last week, he made decisive half-time changes in personnel that livened things up and, eventually, produced a win.
But, today, in what was, in Marco’s own words, “a cup final”, he, once again, started the game with square pegs in round holes.
Now he says we have “three more cup finals to play”. Mate, we couldn’t even win a bloody QUARTER FINAL because you were tactically outmanouvered by Crystal Palace’s Glasner.
Wake up people!
Ryan Sessegnon must be having sleepless nights wondering where on Earth his manager is going to ask him to play. Right wing, left wing, left back???
Silva knows only one way of playing: two wingers and one lone striker. That’s limited, but fine, if you have a Mitrovic upfront, somebody powerful enough to play the hold up game majestically and bring other players into the game – and two GENUINE wide players.
But we don’t!
Jiminez worked his butt off in this game and won more than his share of aerial duels but had zero support so his knock ons are completely wasted and, in the box, he is just not a threat aerially. Not that we have any players capable of putting in the kind of quality crosses that a striker needs.
Not only did we start with Sessegnon, a LEFT footed player, playing on the RIGHT wing, once again, despite the inclusion of a, supposedly, genuine winger in Wilson, Silva opted for Iwobi wide left.
It doesn’t work. Worse-it’s ineffective and has been for weeks.
Wilson was asked to play in an unfamiliar role -and it looked like it- another tactical move that didn’t work.
Inevitably, in such a vital game, we offered nothing in another pathetic first half.
Did Silva react as he had done at Southampton and ring the changes? No, this week, his only change was to swap Iwobi and Sessegnon and play them on their preferred sides.
Poor old Sessegnon is NOT a winger however much Silva wants him to be. Yet he gives everything and was, arguably, our biggest threat. So Silva promptly subbed him???
I’m still coming to terms with that one.
And who did he bring on? Willian who, last week, looked our most likely player to score?
Traore who, last week, changed our fortunes by actually taking defenders on?
No, Silva chose Emile Smith Rowe?
Like most of us, I jumped on Smith Rowe’s very ordinary performance against Southampton, including his deflected goal, as a sign that, finally, maybe, God willing, he might actually turn out to be a decent player. That’s how desperate we are because, today, he was, once again, back to his useless self.
We don’t have a Plan B. It’s shameful but it’s a fact. In fact, without a single player who can run at defenders, especially on the wings, we don’t really have a Plan A.
To add to our woes, we had the return of Jedi, stripped of the captaincy, which nobody has commented on, and who, in the first half, showed us, once more, that, injured or not, he is in a dire run of form. Second half, he was lacking defensively but brighter in attack but, still, cannot cross a decent ball.
When you see, in added time, with eight of our players in the Villa half, Joachim Andersen choose to pass square to Bassey on the halfway line. Then Bassey pass it back to him. Then Andersen pass it square, once again, to Bassey, it’s patently obvious that something is very wrong at the root of our game. What happened to that brilliant player who, three seasons ago, was a great captain, raking 20 and 30 yard diagonal passes?
Why was Kenny Tete subbed for an inferior Castagne? How could that change possibly improve our chances?
A word for Harrison Reed. I hate it when people label players as being a great servant but he certainly has been a terrific player for Fulham. Alongside Joao Palhinha, he was one of the first names on the team sheet, each week. A tiger in midfield, full of running.
Somewhere, somehow, he has lost Silva’s confidence in him, reduced to cameos and never having a decent run in which to recapture his undoubted ability. Brought on, today, he suffered an injury that will, almost certainly, bring an end to his season and his time at the Cottage. He’s too good to spend another season warming the bench so somebody, probably Scott Parker, will snap him up. Thanks Harrison.
As is typical of Silva, he preferred to vent his frustrations on the referee and 4th official, earning himself a yellow card that will see him biting his nails, high up in the stand, for our next “cup final”.
All he had to do was look along the touchline at his managerial rival who chose to vent at his players, during and after the game, for their frailities.
Villa did not play well but, being brutally honest, could, and should, have won by a wider margin. In most positions, they have players of better quality than ourselves.
Somebody PLEASE tell me why we do not have a single player at our club who is capable of taking defenders on? Josh King, you say? Well. where the hell has he disappeared to? Silva was raving about him earlier in the season.
For that matter, how come we don’t have one player who can take set pieces in an accurate manner? It’s not a lot to ask, is it? We have had to endure endless dire set pieces from Pereira, week after week. Yet, in his absence, today, Harry Wilson’s efforts were no better and poor old Harrison Reed, in his first touch of the ball, couldn’t even clear the first defender.
These are BASICS that should have been addressed a long, long time ago by Marco Silva.
There’s a lot of things I agree with Charles about. Silva certainly isn’t infallible, but Sessegnon is much more at home as a winger than a left back. All of his goals this season have come from the wing – and he adds so much more to our attack there. He might be a short-term replacement for Robinson should the latter be sold this summer, but I’d much rather see him playing further up the field.
It always puzzled me that Sess was billed as a fullback. He never looked good in that position, always better, exciting and dangerous playing further forward. As for Silva I have been, and am, an admirer of him and what he has achieved for us but his inability to sort out a few professional players defeats me.
Sess shouldn’t have been taken off and he is much better playing as a forward or midfielder and is always a goal threat, i too don’t know why we are useless at taking corners and free kicks and why do we keep insisting to play sideways and backwards instead of forwards, we really need to have a good clear out and bring in some new exciting and creative players and Marco needs to get a plan B as we are so predictable.
Firstly totally inept performance all round I travelled again to Villa Park wish I gone shopping with the Wife instead,can somebody please tell me why Jedi has lost the captaincy this is becoming a lottery it’s seems nobody wants it,we have six players on renewal of contract, that must be sorted out of who’s going and who god forbid is staying please Silva give Anderson the captains armband for next season he is the only one capable also a decent back goalie instead of Benda get rid of the dead wood including Cairney Vinicius Adama and Benda Ramsdale is available also play Sess Asa Striker give it a try why not got to better than we have at the moment we will finish 10th so no change there then