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4 hours ago
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As Aston Villa cantered towards a fourth successive victory in all competitions, it was hard not to wonder: what was all the fuss about? Donyell Malen was the match-winner for Villa in Unai Emery’s 150th game in charge of the club, the Dutchman applying a pair of expert finishes after seizing a rare start, this just his fourth in the Premier League since signing from Borussia Dortmund in January. Out of nowhere Burnley halved the deficit through the substitute Lesley Ugochukwu, who headed in on 78 minutes, but a first away point this season proved beyond them.
Before Ugochukwu headed in Quilindschy Hartman’s cross it was apparent Villa’s biggest danger was probably themselves – and so it proved, some slack marking allowing the former Chelsea midfielder to send the ball through the legs of the returning Emiliano Martínez. Unsurprisingly, Burnley roused from there but they could not prevent a fifth defeat in six matches in all competitions and they have conceded 15 Premier League goals, one shy of the 16 they let in across the entire Championship season en route to promotion as runners-up.
This has been a peculiar year for Malen, who was left out of Villa’s Champions League squad a couple of weeks after signing and has struggled to pin down a place in Emery’s side. But against Burnley he showed the clinical streak and cold-blooded finishing that prompted the Villa manager to revisit the club’s interest in the winger. Malen held off Maxime Estève after latching on to Boubacar Kamara’s perfect pass into a gaping hole in the Burnley defence and, off balance, he potted the ball across Martin Dubravka and into the far corner. Cue a gleeful knee slide.
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Malen’s second goal, shortly after the hour, was even better, a touch-and-bang finish after reading Morgan Rogers’s cute through ball; Rogers was the catalyst for Villa’s first, too, sidestepping Josh Cullen and Josh Laurent before locating Kamara 10 yards inside the Villa half. This time Malen, fed cleverly by Rogers, composed himself with his first touch and then used the laces of his right boot to blast a shot past a helpless Dubravka with his next. The Burnley goalkeeper denied Lucas Digne late on to prevent Villa restoring a two-goal lead.
