EPL: Aston Villa Leap to Fourth with 3-1 Win at Fulham

Unai Emery's Villa March On

“We showed great character to come back from a goal down...”

Aston Villa moved to fourth in the Premier League with a convincing 3-1 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage. Ollie Watkins scored his fifth goal of the season, while Morgan Rogers and Issa Diop's own goal sealed the victory. Emiliano Martinez's penalty save proved pivotal as Villa continued their best start since 1998-99.

Aston Villa continued their impressive run, moving to fourth in the Premier League after a convincing 3-1 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage. Ollie Watkins' fifth goal of the campaign and strikes from Morgan Rogers and Issa Diop's own goal sealed the victory.

Fulham took an early lead through Raul Jimenez's left-footed shot, but Villa quickly equalized when Rogers' 20-yard effort deflected off Calvin Bassey, wrong-footing Bernd Leno. Andreas Pereira's tame penalty was saved by Emiliano Martinez, shifting momentum in Villa's favor.

Watkins headed in Youri Tielemans' corner on the hour, and Fulham's afternoon worsened with Joachim Andersen's red card for dragging down Watkins. Diop's own goal sealed the win, despite Jaden Philogene's late dismissal.

Villa's unbeaten away record in the league extends, with Watkins' clinical finishing and Martinez's crucial penalty save proving decisive. The win marks Villa's best start to a season since 1998-99.

Manager Unai Emery praised his team's resilience, saying, “We showed great character to come back from a goal down. Our away form has been excellent, and we're delighted with the three points.”

Fulham boss Marco Silva lamented his team's mistakes, stating, “We started well, but the penalty miss changed the game. We couldn't recover from that, and Villa took advantage.”

Raul Jimenez's goal continued his impressive form, with ten goals in his last twelve Premier League starts. However, Fulham's inability to capitalize on their early lead cost them dearly.

The victory lifts Villa to fourth in the table, while Fulham remains ninth.

Highlights:

• Ollie Watkins scores fifth Premier League goal
• Morgan Rogers' deflected shot equalizes for Villa
• Emiliano Martinez saves Andreas Pereira's penalty
• Raul Jimenez scores tenth goal in twelve Premier League starts
• Joachim Andersen sees red for Fulham
• Villa move to fourth in the table

Player of the Match:

Matty Cash (Aston Villa) - Average rating: 9.03