How the goals came
Brentford scored first. In the 10th minute Yehor Yarmoliuk hit a right-footed shot from the center of the box past Zion Suzuki; Sky Sports reported that the chance came after Tyrone Mings lost the ball in a dangerous area. Villa needed two minutes to answer: in the 12th, Nicolas Jackson finished from the center of the box into the bottom right corner after, according to Sky, Emiliano Buendía's shot was deflected into his path.
It stayed 1-1 for more than an hour. Buendía, Manzambi and McGinn all had chances for Villa before half-time, and in stoppage time Caoimhín Kelleher saved from Jackson and McGinn. The second goal for each side came as close together as the first two. In the 77th minute McGinn, set up by Johan Manzambi, shot from the left side of the box into the bottom right corner; Sky said the shot took a deflection off Ajer. In the 79th Ajer made up for it, running from deep on the left and finishing from the center of the box into the bottom left corner, with Jaidon Anthony credited with the assist.
- 10' — Yehor Yarmoliuk (Brentford), 0-1
- 12' — Nicolas Jackson (Aston Villa), 1-1
- 77' — John McGinn (Aston Villa), assist Johan Manzambi, 2-1
- 79' — Kristoffer Ajer (Brentford), assist Jaidon Anthony, 2-2
Turning points
There were no red cards, penalties or reviewed goals. The changes that shaped the game were forced ones. Villa lost left-back Matteo Ruggeri at half-time with what Sky described as a hamstring problem, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka came on in his place. Brentford took off Jannik Schuster at the interval for Aaron Hickey, a change Sky called largely precautionary, and lost Kevin Schade to a shoulder problem in the 52nd minute; Mamadou Sangaré replaced him.
Unai Emery brought on Ibrahim Mbaye for Buendía in the 64th minute, three minutes before Keith Andrews made a double change: Dango Ouattara for Keane Lewis-Potter and Mathias Jensen for the goalscorer Yarmoliuk. Jensen's cross found Anthony at the far post in the 73rd minute, but he headed over. Late on, Callum Wilson replaced Anthony for Brentford (85'), and Villa sent on Ross Barkley for João Gomes and Alysson for Manzambi (86'), who was making his first home start, according to Sky.
Brentford committed 24 fouls to Villa's seven and were shown five of the game's seven yellow cards: Igor Thiago (35'), Vitaly Janelt (75'), Michael Kayode (82'), Ajer (84') and Wilson (90+5'). Buendía (45+3') and Matty Cash (72') were booked for Villa.
We could've won it, could've lost it and I'm a tad disappointed that we couldn't take advantage of situations in the last 10 to 15 minutes where I felt we were coming on strong and had the opportunity to win the game.
Keith Andrews, Brentford head coach, in his press conference (via Sky Sports)
Aston Villa vs Brentford: the stats
Villa had more of the ball and more of the shooting, 20 shots to 14 and seven on target to four, but Kelleher made five saves to Suzuki's three. Both sides had two corners. Brentford relied more on crosses, 18 to Villa's four.
| Aston Villa | Brentford | |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 52% | 48% |
| Shots | 20 | 14 |
| Shots on target | 7 | 4 |
| Blocked shots | 7 | 3 |
| Corners | 2 | 2 |
| Fouls | 7 | 24 |
| Yellow cards | 2 | 5 |
| Red cards | 0 | 0 |
| Saves | 3 | 5 |
| Passes | 407 | 358 |
| Crosses | 4 | 18 |
What it means in the table
Brentford started the matchweek fourth with 9 points and are still fourth with 10, from two wins and four draws (12 goals scored, six conceded). They are level on points with Everton and Chelsea and stay above them on goal difference, three points behind third-placed Brighton & Hove Albion and eight behind leaders Manchester City. With Everton, they are one of only three sides, alongside City, yet to lose a league game this season.
Villa moved up from 16th to 15th with 5 points from six games: one win, two draws and three defeats, with six goals scored and 11 conceded. They are two points above the relegation zone, where Tottenham Hotspur sit 18th on 3 points. Coventry City, 19th with 3 points, have a game in hand: their matchweek 6 game against Newcastle United is on Monday 12 October and was still to be played when this table was computed. The full standings are on our Premier League table, and our study of how many points avoid Premier League relegation puts Villa's start in context.
At Villa Park, we have played three matches and we did not win until now.
Unai Emery, Aston Villa manager (via Sky Sports)
Sky's Adam Bate asked whether the empty North Stand, closed while the club increases Villa Park's capacity, is a factor in that home form; the attendance was 36,636. For how much playing at home is usually worth, see our home advantage measured across six leagues.
What's next
Both clubs play on Saturday 17 October. Brentford are at home to Liverpool at 15:00 BST, and Aston Villa travel to Newcastle United for a 17:30 BST kickoff. All of matchweek 7 is on the Premier League fixtures page, and you can play out the rest of the Premier League season in our simulator, starting from the current table.
How this report was built: the score, goals, assists, cards, substitutions, lineups, team stats and attendance come from ESPN's match data, with the team of each goal taken from ESPN's team identifiers. The table before and after matchweek 6 is our own, computed from ESPN full-time results, three points for a win, and does not yet include Coventry City v Newcastle United. Quotes, the injury details and the deflection on McGinn's goal come from Sky Sports' match report by Adam Bate. Kickoff times are UK time.