Toti Gomez scored his first Wolves goal with a powerful header that went under the crossbar and out past Emiliano Martinez. Photo: Getty Images/David Rogers Wolves-Aston Villa match results
The Premier League games are coming to an end, and at the most inopportune moment, Aston Villa fizzles out.
They lost a hectic, moody local derby on Saturday to an early goal when Toti nodded in the corner of Ruben Neves, scoring the first goal of a defender in English football. Now with three games to go, at the very moment when everyone around them resolutely refuses to stumble, Villa are nine points behind the Champions League places.
The variables associated with Manchester United's performance in the FA Cup Final and West Ham United's progress in the Euro Conference have not yet run their course, but Villa could still be on these shores next season.
To be honest, as a result After Sunday's defeat at Old Trafford, head coach Unai Emery went above and beyond on Saturday. Even before the start. He fiddled with his squad by launching Bertrand Traore in a Premier League match for the first time since January 2022.
This gamble didn't work out as Traore was a passenger for the 45 minutes Emery endured. with him, and when he did interfere, his transition and transition were wrong.
Emery also changed formation, moving to a 4-3-3 formation, meaning that their usually inspiring captain John McGinn was emasculated in a more limited role — as he was under Steven Gerard — and the Villa captain looked lost and disappointed.
And McGinn was partly to blame for Toti's goal, distracting his defenders by indulging in a wrestling match with Craig Dawson, which twice caught the attention of referee Stuart Attwell before Neves crossed.
By the end, Emery's line-up had turned into one with at least four strikers (Philippe Coutinho defiantly remained on the bench to cook), and Emiliano Martinez was more swingy than goalkeeper when Wolves swapped center forward Diego Costa for center back Nathan Collins.
Diego Costa (left) collided with Tyrone Mings in a Midlands match
The team, normally overflowing with chances, created just one in each half. José Sa skilfully deflected Buendía's howitzer in the first half, and Tyrone Mings inexplicably landed a free-kick from Douglas Luis from six yards in the second.
“It’s not fatigue,” Emery countered. “Against United we played better than some of the games we won and I enjoyed watching us in the first half and some in the second. This is how I want us to play. The Wolves spent the second half in vain, and we were not able to show our best side, as in the first half. In the second half we tried to change the game, but failed.”
McGinn was not the only tired player. Ollie Watkins was quieter than a muffled alarm clock, and intimidated by Max Kilman and Dawson, he never looked forward to giving himself a chance.
Emiliano Buendía's usually power distribution was bogus and he gave in, while the usually placid Alex Moreno got a very unpleasant day due to Matheus Nunez and the Spaniard's usual free forwards fell short.
< p>And Villa were not the only culprits in their destruction. Going all the way to eight wins in 10 games ahead of a visit to Manchester, Villa lost Villa to the Wolves, who harassed and harassed them from start to finish whenever they tried to build their signature style from the back. As a result, Villa was never able to really agree.
However, in the end, Emery was ambiguous.
“The season is not over yet. We are very happy to play Tottenham next week as they are only three points ahead of us. Yes, today has reduced our chances, but I want us to play like this and that we continue to work. Sometimes this is enough. That wasn't enough today.
For Wolverhampton, the fact that the Premier League clock is running out is the best news. Now, with the exception of an almost unbelievable combination of results, they have secured Premier League status after a tumultuous season in general and last week's 6-0 humiliation at Brighton in particular.
Wolves vs Aston Villa line-ups
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