- Fulham 1-0 Aston Villa
- Ryan Sessegnon (43′)
Aston Villa are now winless in their last five away Premier League games, as Ryan Sessegnon’s first-half strike was the difference between themselves and Fulham. It means they still have work to do to secure Champions League qualification.
There was little action in the first half hour, with Emi Martinez making a simple stop to prevent Saska Lukic’s header.
Morgan Rogers came the closest, after John McGinn played a ball over the top for him to run onto. He cut inside, but flashed his shot wide of the post.
Moments later, Ollie Watkins had a chance to take the lead. He did really well at holding off Joachim Andersen, but like Rogers, he fired wide.
Fulham then broke the deadlock just before the break, with Martinez’s parry falling to Ryan Sessegnon, who drilled the ball into the corner, past Ezri Konsa’s feet.
The Cottagers could have doubled their advantage shortly after the restart, as Digne was dispossessed by Wilson, but the winger dragged his effort wide.
Watkins was given another opportunity to get on the scoresheet on the hour mark after Torres played the ball into McGinn’s feet, before the Scot cleverly found Watkins running into the box, but the striker couldn’t keep his effort down.
Up the other end, Fulham had a goal disallowed in the 65th minute. Timothy Castagne headed in at the back post from Lukic’s corner, but referee Michael Oliver blew up on a foul on Martinez, who was being held by Sander Berge.
Unai Emery then made four changes in the 74th minute, to pile more pressure on the hosts as Jadon Sancho, Leon Bailey, Ross Barkley and Douglas Luiz replaced Buendia, McGinn, Bogarde and Tielemans.
Tammy Abraham replaced Watkins in the 81st minute, and not long after had a chance to level. He cleverly beat Andersen with skill to enter the box, but he blazed his shot over the bar.
While Villa dominated the ball, they lacked the clinical edge required to dismantle a disciplined Fulham backline. The result leaves Unai Emery’s side with plenty of soul-searching to do as they pivot toward a massive European showdown vs Nottingham Forest on Thursday.
Here are Read Aston Villa’s full-time ratings:
Emi Martinez – 6
Martinez wasn’t really tested for most of the match. He made some comfortable saves in the first half, but was unable to prevent Sessegnon’s strike. In the second 45, he didn’t have a lot to do.
Matty Cash – 5
Although he wasn’t involved in Villa’s attack in the first half, he was able to get forward in the second. However, he was quite poor in possession.
Ezri Konsa – 6
Konsa couldn’t adjust his feet quickly enough to block Sessegnon’s strike just before half-time. He made 99/102 successful passes in the game, and held Villa’s defensive line well with Torres.
Pau Torres – 5
Torres wasn’t his usual self in possession. A number of his attempts at long balls were wayward, and didn’t carry the ball forward enough.
Lucas Digne – 5
Digne was dispossessed by Wilson just after the break, leading to a big chance. He was quite poor for most of the game.
Lamare Bogarde – 5
Bogarde didn’t have the best game coming in for the injured Amadou Onana. He gave the ball away a few times, and didn’t look too comfortable on the ball. Ross Barkley replaced him in the 70th minute.
Youri Tielemans – 6
The Belgian wasn’t as impactful on the ball than previous matches, although he did well defensively. He was hauled off for Douglas Luiz in the 70th minute.
John McGinn – 6
Overall McGinn had a rather quiet game. He received the ball in tight areas, and did well to loop a ball over Fulham’s backline for Rogers to run onto, but he shot wide. For the most part he wasn’t too involved.
Morgan Rogers – 5
Rogers was moved into the No 10 role today. He had a great chance to take the lead, but skewed his attempt past the post. Given his last couple of performances, the 23-year-old lacked the quality he usually possess.
Emi Buendía – 6
The Argentinian returned to the starting XI on the left wing this afternoon. He lost the ball on a few occasions, but did work very hard defensively.
Ollie Watkins – 6
Despite not getting on the scoresheet again, Watkins did have a solid game. He displayed some great centre-forward play, holding the ball up when needed. The Englishman looked rather threatening, but failed to convert some of his chances. Tammy Abraham replaced him in the 81st minute.
Subs:
Leon Bailey for McGinn, 75′ – 5
Bailey did little to impact the game.
Douglas Luiz for Tielemans, 75′ and Ross Barkley (for Bogarde, 75′) – 6
Both were composed on the ball when they came on, but neither created any opportunities.
Jadon Sancho for Buendia, 75′ – 6
Much better performance off the bench by Sancho, after last week’s mistakes.
Tammy Abraham for Watkins, 81‘ –
Abraham had a chance to equalise, after skilfully beating Andersen, but couldn’t keep his shot down. Didn’t really have enough time to impact the game.
A costly lack of edge at Craven Cottage
Aston Villa’s trip to West London proved to be a frustrating exercise in missed opportunities and uncharacteristic sloppiness.
Despite controlling large periods of possession, Unai Emery’s side lacked the clinical finishing required to break down a resilient Fulham defense. The wastefulness of Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins in the first half proved fatal, especially when Ryan Sessegnon punished a defensive lapse just before the interval.
The second-half introduction of high-profile substitutes like Jadon Sancho and Douglas Luiz brought more composure, but very little in the way of a creative spark.
The defeat extends Villa’s winless run on the road to five matches, a worrying trend for a team with Champions League aspirations.
With the margin for error thinning in the top-five race, the Villans must quickly rediscover their ruthlessness. They now head into a massive European showdown against Nottingham Forest on Thursday, where soul-searching must turn into results if they are to salvage their momentum for the final stretch of the season.
