Unfair? Disappointing? Deserved?
For Aston Villa, this is a hard result to accept, with many supporters expecting and hoping for more. Tom Heaton making a ridiculous and unneeded mistake after 41 seconds to gift Josh King a simple penalty was not what the home fans were wanting.
Trezeguet then played the ball across the box, which Douglas Luiz let run through his legs. Harry Wilson, on debut, let rip and with help from a handy deflection of Mings’ hip, Villa found themselves 2-0 down within twelve minutes. Heaton made a decent save to his lower side to prevent a bigger score line going into the break. John McGinn being the only threat going forward for Villa.
Second half unfolded differently, with the brilliant home crowd getting behind its team. Bournemouth sat back and invited the pressure. Aston Villa dominated with 63% possession, having ten more shots than their opponents.
Douglas Luiz capitalised on his opportunity outside the box, finishing top corner with a beautiful curled finish. He broke off with a relieved celebration, demonstrating his passion and love of scoring. Luiz showed everyone why he could be integral to Villa’s run this season. He was the lynchpin between defence and attack for the home side. Hardly any of Aston Villa’s movements occurred without at least a touch from the Under-23 Brazilian captain’s involvement.
Two losses in two games isn’t how Dean Smith saw his side beginning their Premier League campaign. For Eddie Howe, 4 points from the opening two games is a decent start for the south coast club. With Josh King, Callum Wilson, Harry Wilson and Ryan Fraser up front they certainly have attacking options. Dominic Solanke looked poor as he came off the bench, still not showing why the Cherries paid big money for him last year from Liverpool.
On the other hand, this result showed the worrying signs for Aston Villa. Wesley looked out of sorts, often letting his frustrations known to the referee and his opponents.
With Kodjia injured, leaving Davis as the only other recognised striker, Villa have a problem. We will be seeing their goals coming from midfielders this season, because at the moment I have my trepidations over Wesley’s finishing capabilities. One thing I will credit the Brazilian with is his hard-working ethic which will prove instrumental for him to find form here in the Premier League.
Aston Villa host Everton next weekend at home, who are just coming off a handy 1-0 win over Watford this weekend. Bournemouth travel home where they welcome reigning champions, Manchester City to the Vitality Stadium. City having drawn to Tottenham 2-2 this weekend will be ruing missed opportunities and will be keen to get three points against the Cherries.
Man of the Match: Douglas Luiz
