THAT’S why they’re Champions League!
Unai Emery‘s Villa survived a first-half mauling from Wolves, who came within 17 minutes of pulling off a shock victory.
Matheus Cunha opened the scoring at Villa Park
Ollie Watkins then bagged his third Prem goal of the new campaign
GettyKonsa put Villa ahead[/caption]
Until the floodgates opened and Villa hit back with three late goals from Ollie Watkins, Ezri Konsa – and of course Jhon Duran – to show why Villa are a league apart from their Midlands rivals.
Poor Gary O’Neil thought he had masterminded Wolves’ second clean sheet in 19 league matches until his side’s dramatic late collapse.
Then Villa put on the after-burners to blow them away, once Watkins set them on their way with a goal which beat Sam Johnstone with the help of a deflection off Craig Dawson.
With two minutes left of regulation time Youri Tielemans delivered a deep cross which just evaded Watkins but Konsa cashed in at the back post to steer the ball home.
And supersub Duran had the last word with his fourth goal from the bench in five Premier games.
Villa paid an emotional tribute to their sorely missed European Cup winning striker Gary Shaw, who sadly passed away last week, aged 63.
As the teams emerged a giant banner was unfurled at the Holte End, with a black and white photo of Villa’s golden-haired, golden boy proudly clutching the European Cup.
Every stairwell carried Shaw’s name or the No.8 he famously wore, while a video tribute played on the big screen’s as Villa Park held one minute’s applause for “one of our own.”
Jhon Duran bagged his second goal in two games
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In the press box where Shaw latterly worked for the Press Association and OPTA a replica of Villa’s white European Cup winning shirts was draped over Gary’s usual seat.
Wolves meanwhile arrived at Villa Park on the crest of a slump.
One win in their last 14 Premier League fixtures – winless in their last seven, since beating Luton 2-1 in April.
They had lost 11 Premier games since the start of March picking up just nine points, which is a record league-low.
After suffering a late Newcastle comeback last Sunday, Wolves are now rock-bottom of the Prem.
O’Neil even received the dreaded vote of confidence this week – traditionally the first tell-tale sign that bottoms are beginning to squeek in the Boardroom.
Villa in contrast swaggered into this local derby with the confidence of a team who had just strutted their stuff in the Champions League.
Unai Emery‘s men really did show it was a case of men against Young Boys as they romped to a 3-0 win in Bern on Tuesday.
And only the most pessimistic fan would have expected anything less than a routine home win here.
Yet Wolves ripped up the form book in a one-sided first half in which they battered Villa.
After a scrappy start where the only noteworthy moments were bookings for Rayan Ait-Nouri and Nelson Semedo, the game suddenly flickered into life after 18 minutes.
Cunha swept in a corner which was met by Mario Lemina but the midfielder’s header came off Amadou Onana‘s shoulder and was easily gathered by Emi Martinez.
However Wolves snatched a shock lead midway through the first half with a goal which came courtesy of a horrific Diego Carlos blunder.
Villa were patiently playing the ball out from the back when Carlos was sloppy with his attempt to find Onana.
Cunha had anticipated the destination and was one step ahead as he pounced to seize possession, before rifling a low shot which clipped the inside of Martinez’s right post on its way in.
Suddenly Wolves season was up and running as their travelling support went wild.
Joao Gomes completed a hat-trick of first-half bookings for Wolves, who were treating this game as if it was a cup-tie.
Villa meanwhile were stuck in first gear as they appeared to be suffering an almighty Euro hangover.
Unai Emery went full Mikel Arteta on the sidelines as Villa mounted a stunning comeback again
Much of Watkins’ movement came in the second half
Ait-Nouri had a shot which deflected off Carlos and scraped just wide of the far post.
Then Mosquera launched a booming ball over the Villa defence which Jorgen Strand Larsen raced onto.
But the Norwegian’s shot from just inside the box was easily smothered by Martinez.
Villa’s troubles multiplied when skipper John McGinn limped off before the break, clutching his hamstring.
John McGinn was subbed off just before half-time
He was followed up the tunnel by a seething Emery who was so angry he didn’t even wait for the half-time whistle to head for the dressing-room.
One can only assume the riot act was read as the Villa boss made two changes at the break with Ian Maatsen coming on for Lucas Digne, while Leon Bailey replaced McGinn.
Maatsen almost made an instant impact with a wicked free kick which found no takers as it sped across the face of the Wolves goal.
But on the hour – like clockwork – Emery played his joker as he sent on supersub Duran and Ross Barkley for Jacob Ramsey and Onana.
Roared on by their frantic fans, Villa threw everything into attack.
Watkins had a header cleared off the line by Mosquera and Duran headed over from a Tielemans corner.
ReutersYerson Mosquera was stretchered off in the 80th minute[/caption]
But Villa’s pressure paid off after 73 minutes as Watkins grabbed his third goal in his last two home games.
Duran won the ball and Rogers’ accurate pass was controlled expertly by Watkins who then beat Johnstone with a helpful deflection off Craig Dawson‘s boot as the defender slid in.
Rogers was booked for a foul on Mosquera who had to be stretchered off with what appeared a serious injury and Bailey curled a free kick wide as Villa continued to push.
Incredibly the pay-off came in spectacular fashion as Konsa and Duran combined to complete a remarkable turnaround with a goal apiece.
Wolves’ VAR complaints
Wolves have listed nine negative repercussions from the introduction of VAR in their complaint.
Impact on goal celebrations and the spontaneous passion that makes football special
Frustration and confusion inside stadiums due to lengthy VAR checks and poor communication
A more hostile atmosphere with protests, booing of the Premier League anthem and chants against VAR
Overreach of VAR’s original purpose to correct clear and obvious mistakes, now overanalysing subjective decisions and compromising the game’s fluidity and integrity
Diminished accountability of on-field officials, due to the safety net of VAR, leading to an erosion of authority on the pitch
Continued errors despite VAR, with supporters unable to accept human error after multiple views and replays, damaging confidence in officiating standards
Disruption of the Premier League’s fast pace with lengthy VAR checks and more added time, causing matches to run excessively long
Constant discourse about VAR decisions often overshadowing the match itself, and tarnishing the reputation of the league
Erosion of trust and reputation, with VAR fuelling completely nonsensical allegations of corruption