Ten-man Brentford stun Aston Villa to leave Emery’s title dreams in doubt | OneFootball

Ten-man Brentford produced a disciplined performance to beat Aston Villa 1-0 at Villa Park and deal a blow to the hosts’ Premier League title ambitions.

The defeat leaves Villa seven points behind leaders Arsenal and further adrift in a race that had gathered momentum earlier in the season.

Brentford’s victory was built on resilience, organisation and a moment of outstanding quality from Dango Ouattara.

The visitors were reduced to ten men shortly before half-time when Kevin Schade was shown a straight red card for planting his studs into Matty Cash’s midriff.

At that point, the game appeared to tilt firmly in Villa’s favour. However, Brentford soon struck decisively.

Ouattara broke down the left channel, cut inside and unleashed a superb left-footed strike into the far top corner. The goal stunned Villa Park and transformed the contest.

Villa had handed a first league start to Tammy Abraham following his return to the club. Abraham went close early on, but Caoimhin Kelleher denied him.

Despite enjoying the majority of possession, Villa struggled to turn territorial dominance into clear-cut chances.

Brentford defended compactly, with Kelleher commanding his area and the back line holding its shape under sustained pressure.

Villa thought they had equalised four minutes into the second half when Abraham turned home after Kelleher parried Jadon Sancho’s effort.

Their celebrations were cut short following a lengthy VAR review, which controversially ruled the ball had gone out of play earlier in the move.

The decision drew an angry reaction from the home crowd and further disrupted Villa’s momentum.

Unai Emery’s side continued to press, with Sancho, Morgan Rogers and Cash all testing Brentford’s resolve.

Clear openings were limited, and the visitors rarely looked stretched despite playing with a numerical disadvantage for more than 50 minutes.

Brentford offered little going forward after the break but managed the game intelligently. Ouattara’s goal remained the only shot on target they registered, yet it proved enough.

Villa’s frustration grew as the minutes passed, with a series of crosses failing to find a decisive touch. Late chances fell to Leon Bailey and Rogers, but composure deserted the hosts at key moments.

The final whistle confirmed Villa’s second consecutive home league defeat, a sequence they had avoided for two years. It also underlined the fine margins at the top end of the table.

The title talk has quietened, and the gap to Arsenal has widened.