Brentford continued their solid start to their first top-flight campaign for 74 years, a well-earned point at Villa Park leaving them unbeaten after three matches. Ivan Toney got off the mark too, the accomplished finisher claiming his first goal of the season with a powerful strike in the seventh minute.
Emi Buendía equalised with a shot from the edge of the area but Dean Smith’s depleted team could not muster enough ingenuity to overcome tough and savvy visitors.
“I didn’t think we were good enough in the final third to win the game,” admitted Smith. “There is a lot more to come from this team.”
Having seen his side humbled by Watford on the opening day of the season, Smith would have been aghast to lose to another newly promoted team even if he has warm feelings towards Brentford after enjoying three successful season as their manager. He had to change his plans for this match on the eve of the game owing to a clutch of additional injuries – notably a cracked rib for Tyrone Mings – and Covid-related complications for John McGinn and Jacob Ramsey.
Smith chose to give a first Premier League start to 17-year-old Carney Chukwuemeka, who begin in central midfield with 36-year-old Ashley Young, while Axel Tuanzebe, on loan from Manchester United, started in central defence.
Villa were searching for fluency when Brentford shocked them by taking the lead. After a corner from the left was only partly cleared, Sergi Canós retrieved the ball on the far side and sent a low cross towards the near post. Pontus Jansson flicked it on artfully to Toney, who showed the efficiency of an expert by walloping it into the net from 10 yards. That is likely to be the first of many Premier League goals for a striker who has now scored in all four English divisions.
The pity for Brentford was that their lead did not last long. It took Villa six minutes to draw level in elegant style. Danny Ings collected a pass by Matt Targett in the left-hand channel before swapping nifty passes with Anwar El Ghazi and laying the ball to Buendía. Villa’s record signing was afforded an unpardonable amount of space at the edge of the box and he made optimal use of it, feigning to pass to his right and then curling the ball beyond David Raya.
Ings had barely been involved up to that point but nearly fired Villa in front in the 19th minute after El Ghazi bewildered Rico Henry down the left. This time Raya came to Brentford’s rescue, beating away Ings’ shot from six yards.
Villa had woken up but were far from smooth and certainly not dominant. They were lucky not to fall behind just after the half-hour mark, when Henry joined in an attack unnoticed by any Villa defenders and flashed a low shot inches wide of the far post after being teed up by Vitaly Janelt.
Both teams attacked with gusto after the break. It was frantic and engrossing but precision was largely missing. The absences of creators such as Bertrand Traoré and Leon Bailey – no point mentioning Jack Grealish – were costing Villa. With Buendía only flickering, Ings was poorly served despite occasional flourishes by El Ghazi.
Despite both teams’ bluster, neither goalkeeper was forced into a second-half save until Ollie Watkins was introduced from the bench late on. Raya foiled him twice.
“I loved the way we approached the game,” said Thomas Frank. “Being unbeaten is a good feeling. We have been very difficult to break down and in all three games we have had solid performances and been brave, pressing high and going forward. But I know they are good enough to show even more.”
