Brentford fans unhappy as former boy haunts them down the league

Unai Emery’s Aston Villa have now beaten Brentford away from home in successive seasons – and old boy Watkins is a key reason
Aston Villa moved two points off fourth-placed Manchester City with a 1-0 with over Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday night.

Ollie Watkins broke the deadlock shortly after half-time, scoring his fifth goal in four appearances against his former club in the 49th minute.
Emi Martinez was carrying a small injury, so Robin Olsen replaced him in the starting XI and kept the club’s fourth league clean sheet of the campaign in what was his first league start this term.

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Here is how the national media reacted to Villa’s win…
Villa’s post-Champions League struggles have been well documented this term.

Prior to this fixture they had failed to win their previous seven matches played immediately after a European game, collecting just three points in the process. So this was a very welcome end to that dismal run.

And that they managed it without their influential goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and forward Marco Asensio, while fielding nine of the side that started at Brugge, was all the more impressive.
Much of the second half was characterised by the manner in which Axel Disasi, the Chelsea defender on loan at Villa, celebrated a succession of important tackles to keep Brentford at bay.
After Ollie Watkins’ goal, Brentford dominated. Wissa’s header from a Mikkel Damsgaard corner rippled the top of Olsen’s net and Disasi celebrated every bit as passionately as if he had scored when he dispossessed Lewis-Potter as he ran thunderously at goal.

Disasi then slid into the highly-involved Schade but evaded punishment, with the explanation given to Thomas Frank that Matty Cash had played the ball beforehand. The Brentford head coach was, naturally, baffled. Still, that did not stop Disasi from punching the air — which he did again after a well-timed tackle to deny Schade a chance to shoot. Lewis-Potter then struck an upright with a fine strike from the edge of the area.