Aston Villa extended their unbeaten run against Bournemouth to six matches with a comprehensive 4-0 victory at Villa Park on Saturday, handing the Cherries their second consecutive Premier League defeat for the first time this season.
The win, fueled by a stunning free-kick and a series of clinical finishes, propelled Unai Emery’s side into seventh place in the league table, while Bournemouth dropped to ninth on goal difference.
Villa’s Commanding First-Half Display
Aston Villa started with clear intent and controlled the opening period. Their early pressure told just before the half-hour mark when Emiliano Buendía broke the deadlock with a moment of individual brilliance. From the edge of the penalty area, the Argentine midfielder expertly curled a free-kick over the wall and into the net, leaving goalkeeper Đorđe Petrović with no chance for his third league goal of the campaign.
The home side continued to dominate and deservedly doubled their lead before the interval. A clever layoff from Morgan Rogers found Amadou Onana, who set himself before unleashing a powerful right-footed drive from long range that flew past Petrović at the near post. The goal, Onana’s first for Villa since April, marked the first time this season Bournemouth had trailed by two goals at half-time.
Bournemouth’s Frustrating Second-Half Response
Andoni Iraola’s team emerged from the break with more purpose, but their efforts to mount a comeback were thwarted by a combination of misfortune and superb goalkeeping. Villa’s Emiliano Martínez scrambled to push a deflected effort from Alex Scott over the bar, and soon after, Evanilson saw his powerful header crash against the post.
The visitors were handed a potential route back into the game when they were awarded a penalty after a far-post delivery struck the raised arm of Morgan Rogers. However, Martínez reinforced his reputation as a specialist from the spot, diving low to his right to make a strong save from Antoine Semenyo’s penalty kick.
Late Set-Piece Strikes Seal the Win
Any lingering hope for Bournemouth was extinguished in the final stages as Aston Villa capitalized on two set-pieces to put the result beyond doubt. Substitute Ross Barkley guided a precise header into the goal from a Lucas Digne corner to make it 3-0.
The scoring was completed shortly after when a worked short corner found Youri Tielemans on the edge of the box. His driven shot took a decisive deflection off Donyell Malen before finding the back of the net, capping an emphatic performance from the Villans.
The result provides significant momentum for Aston Villa as they continue their push up the table, while Bournemouth will need to address their recent defensive vulnerabilities quickly ahead of their next fixture.