Aston Villa vs Wolves: A five-goal thriller (all in the second half) at Villa Park saw the home side go from 2-0 up to 3-2 down in stoppage time as the visitors staged a furious comeback for their third straight Premier League victory on Saturday.
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The winning streak has pushed Wolves up to 8th in the Premier League table after losing their first three games of the season without scoring a goal.
Aston Villa vs Wolves final score, stats, results
Final score: Aston Villa 2, Wolves 3
Goal scorers: Aston Villa (Ings 48โฒ, McGinn 68โฒ), Wolves (Saiss 80โฒ, Coady 85โฒ, Neves 90โ+4)
Shots: Aston Villa 14, Wolves 9
Shots on target: Aston Villa 5, Wolves 4
Possession: Aston Villa 48%, Wolves 52%
3 things we learned, Aston Villa vs Wolves
1. Wolves staying Lageโs course: As demoralizing as the results were in the first month of the season, Wolves felt like a side on the brink of putting all the pieces together and changing their fortunes rather swiftly (itโs something we talked about at the time on PSTโs weekly video series). Since then, 4W-0D-1L with eight goals scored and just three conceded by Bruno Lageโs Wolves.
2. Persistent pressure pays off: With Aston Villa clinging to a 2-0 lead for the final half-hour, there was hardly ever an inch of space for Wolves to counter-attack. In the past, that would have spelt the end of Wolvesโ hopes of grabbing a consolation goal, let alone two or three to steal a result. Not a single one of the three goals Wolves scored was all that aesthetically pleasing, but all three came from keeping constant pressure on Aston Villaโs defensive third, denying outlet balls and quickly getting the ball back into the box by any means necessary. As the game got uglier, Wolves got better.
3. Nightmare collapse by Villa: Despite some bright moments early in the season, Dean Smithโs side hasnโt come close to matching the heights of last season โ at least, not yet โ and a comfortable win over Wolves, which they seemingly had in the bag, would have been a massive foundational result. Instead, itโs a fourth defeat of the season (in eight games) and a place in the bottom half of the table (12th), when the win would have put them in 7th.
Man of the Match: Daniel Podence โ The Portuguese winger came on in the 75th minute, with Wolves trailing 2-0, and proceeded to set up the first goal before leading the charge for goals no. 2 and 3.
Aston Villa vs Wolves recap, highlights
Danny Ings heads home a deserved opener (goal video)
Itโs difficult to choose the better executed part of Aston Villaโs opening goal: was it Ingsโ long-range header just inside the far post, or was it John McGinnโs deftly lobbed cross into a sea of gold shirts? You be the judge.
John McGinn unleashes volley for Aston Villaโs second goal (video)
Ollie Watkinsโ initial shot was blocked and sent bounding high in the air and out of the penalty area. Fortunately for Watkins and Aston Villa, McGinn was lurking outside the area with an anxious left foot.
[ VIDEO: Premier League highlights ]ย
Romain Saiss sweeps home a cross for 2-1 (goal video)
The comeback begins. First, Daniel Podence crosses for Saiss in the 80th minute.
Conor Coady blocks clearance for equalizer (goal video)
Five minutes later, Coady got his body in the way of an attempted goal-line clearance and forced the ball over the line to make it 2-2.
Ruben Neves free kick finds its way through (goal video)
Four minutes into stoppage time, absolute pandemonium in the away end as Nevesโ free kick deflected off the wall, Martinez went one direction and the ball went the other.
Aston Villa team news, injuries, lineup
The Villans wait on Emiliano Martinez, who is returning late from Argentina duty, and a quartet of players are out in Leon Bailey, Trezeguet, Keinan Davis, and Morgan Sanson.
โ @EmiMartinezz1
โ @DGOficialThis is your Aston Villa team to face Wolves. ๐ฃ #AVLWOL pic.twitter.com/v3Sex3zCiq
โ Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) October 16, 2021
Wolves team news, injuries, lineup
Wolvesโ injury list is still considerable, including Trincaoโs absence with COVID-19 as well as the dangerous Pedro Neto. Jonny Otto, Yerson Mosquera, and Hugo Bueno are also out.
Here's how we line-up for #AVLWOL.
๐บ๐ pic.twitter.com/EiLYb70gSW
โ Wolves (@Wolves) October 16, 2021
Odds and ends (full odds provided by our partner, PointsBet)
Villa are +120 to win and +220 to draw, with a Wolves win dishing out +235.
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Prediction
Either team winning wouldnโt be a shock and weโre thinking this may be a game of traded chances with either Jose Sa or Emiliano Martinez (should he play) seizing the decisive moment. Aston Villa 2-2 Wolves.
