Aston Villa returned to winning ways on Saturday, defeating Fulham 2-1 at Craven Cottage.
Ollie Watkins scored twice, propelling Unai Emery’s team back into the top four after other results went their way.
Rodrigo Muniz’s second-half goal was insufficient for Fulham, who suffered their first defeat in three Premier League games.
The match was not without controversy, as both sides’ goals were ruled out in the first half.
Minutes before Watkins’ opening, Tim Ream thought he had put the hosts ahead, but the linesman flagged him for offside.
And former Premier League official Mike Dean thinks it was a close call.
Mike Dean responds to the tight Aston Villa decision.
Dean, speaking on Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday, believed it was close.
“It was very, very tight,” he claimed.
With VAR in place, it’s fair to say the choice was probably the right one.
This seems like a major victory for Aston Villa, especially following last Sunday’s 2-1 setback to Manchester United. Villa have a history of recovering well from losses, and Emery’s side is yet to suffer back-to-back Premier League defeats.
Despite Diego Carlos’ recent injury, Aston Villa’s defence remains strong, thanks to Pau Torres’ timely comeback. Furthermore, Youri Tielemans performed admirably in place of the injured Boubacar Kamara.
Kamara is expected to be out until October after suffering an ACL damage in the defeat to Manchester United.
Emery has even remarked that the club’s current injury crisis is unlike anything he has seen.
“We are human and we are going to support the players, particularly with ACL injuries,” he was quoted as saying by The Athletic.
“I’ve never been in this scenario before as a coach. I know Real Madrid has been in the same predicament (with David Alaba, Eder Militao, and Thibaut Courtois) about ACL injuries.
“But we have to accept it and keep going. We are positive, we work hard, and we want to assist the players who will get opportunities.”
He went on to say, “There may be stuff you can do to prevent some injuries, such as hamstrings, but knee issues are different.
“However, these are not the results of our work. Tyrone was wounded in Newcastle, Emiliano here at the training field, and Kamara at Villa Park.”
The next match is at home against lowly Nottingham Forest.
