Aston Villa's disappointing start to the Premier League season continued as they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium. Dango Ouattara, Brentford's record signing at £42 million from Bournemouth, made an immediate impact by scoring the decisive goal on his debut. The victory gave Brentford their first points of the season and extended their impressive record of never having lost their first home game in a top-flight season to ten campaigns.
Villa entered the match hoping to bounce back from their 0-0 draw against Newcastle United in the opening weekend. However, they struggled to create clear-cut chances and failed to find the net for the second consecutive game. Unai Emery made two changes to the starting lineup, with Emi Martínez returning in goal after serving a suspension and Pau Torres replacing the suspended Ezri Konsa in defense.
Brentford, under the guidance of new manager Keith Andrews, who took over from Thomas Frank in June, were looking to respond after a 3-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest in their first match. Andrews made several changes to the team, including handing debuts to Jordan Henderson and Dango Ouattara. The changes proved to be effective, as Brentford displayed a cohesive attacking performance.
Ouattara's debut goal came in the first half, after 12 minutes of the match, following a clever flick-on from Igor Thiago. Ouattara pounced on the rebound after his initial effort was saved by Emiliano Martinez. The goal sparked celebrations among the Brentford fans and provided a significant boost to the team's confidence.
Brentford thought they had doubled their lead before halftime when Mikkel Damsgaard's effort bounced in off the crossbar. However, the goal was disallowed by the referee after a VAR review deemed that Nathan Collins had fouled Martinez in the build-up. Despite the disallowed goal, Brentford maintained their lead and continued to press Villa's defense.
In the second half, Villa attempted to mount a comeback, with Emery introducing Donyell Malen and Ian Maatsen. However, Brentford's defense remained resolute, preventing Villa from creating any clear-cut chances. Ollie Watkins, who has a strong goalscoring record against his former club, was unable to make an impact on this occasion.
The match ended 1-0, securing a first victory for Keith Andrews as Brentford manager and leaving Aston Villa with only one point from their opening two games. The result highlighted Villa's struggles in the early stages of the season and raised questions about their attacking potency. For Brentford, the win provided a platform to build on, with Ouattara's impressive debut suggesting he could be a key player for the team this season.