Boubacar Kamara’s stunning strike gave Aston Villa a 1-0 win over Wolves as the hosts continued their good form.
Rob Edwards’ Wolves seized their chance in a frenetic West Midlands derby at Villa Park, with Emiliano Martinez making a sensational save to tip Jelson Mosquera’s header under the crossbar, but the bottom club’s resistance was finally broken.
Kamara’s weak-footed effort from outside the box gave Unai Emery’s side a fifth straight home win and briefly moved them into third place, but Chelsea finished the day in fourth place with a 1-1 draw with Arsenal. Wolves remain winless and are eight points behind Burnley, who are at the bottom of the Premier League.
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Emi Martinez’s incredible save gives Wolves the lead against Aston Villa
Villa went close early when David Moeller-Wolf deflected the ball onto his own bar, but Wolves had more possession in the first half and went close several times. Not only Mosquera’s chance but also Jorgen Strand Larsen’s goal was canceled out.
Jon Arias blocked Martinez’s line of sight in this game, but Wolves threatened again early in the second half when Pau Torres came up with a goal-saving challenge and denied Strand Larsen a tap. In the end, they needed something special from Kamara.
Their opponents, Wolves, looked to equalize, but Arias was lucky to remain on the pitch as referee Chris Kavanagh opted not to send off the Colombian despite being screened by VAR for a possible serious foul for an ugly challenge on Kamara.
However, it was the goal scorers who showed a momentary improvement in quality.
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Boubacar Kamara puts Aston Villa ahead with a stunning strike against Wolves
Best Player: Boubacar Camara
Aston Villa’s Boubacar Kamara told Sky Sports:
“We knew before the game that this was a special game for the fans and the team. We know where we are in the table so we have to keep moving forward. These are three important points.”
“In the first half, they played very well, with strong defense and attack. In the second half, they had better possession and the atmosphere helped.”
Emery: Villa Park is our fortress
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery told Sky Sports.
“We had to follow the game plan and be resilient. We didn’t dominate the game and there were moments where we struggled to create and dominate. We have a lot of respect for them and we know how difficult it is to get points.
“We were better in resilience and consistency and in the second half we were more demanding.
“We feel comfortable and strong here. The fans transmit positive energy and want us to be together. It helps us connect with our supporters. This is like our fortress.”
Edwards: I don’t know why we didn’t score.
Wolves manager Rob Edwards told Sky Sports:
“There’s a huge difference in performance between last week and this week. We’ve had a positive training week and the players are working on what we want to do. We just have to work hard and continue to play like this and I think we can hopefully change the momentum.”
“For long periods we looked like a good team and matched them in many aspects. We showed spirit and fight for long periods and looked good on the ball. I thought we created some good moments, but I don’t know why we didn’t score. Disappointed with the result, but happy with the performance.”
