Aston Villa 3 Brentford 1 - Report

 This 3-1 win over Brentford snapped an eight-match winless run, sent his team flying back into the top half of the Premier League and came courtesy of one of their best performances of the season.

Only the heroics of Bees keeper Mark Flekken prevented Villa winning by a much larger margin and ensured a slightly nervier then desired second half after Mikkel Damsgaard had scored for the visitors.

 By then Villa were well ahead courtesy of three goals in the space of 13 first half minutes which brought belief flooding back through the ranks.

 Morgan Rogers began the scoring with a superb strike before Ollie Watkins doubled the advantage from the spot and Matty Cash volleyed home his first goal since April.

 Watkins and substitute Jhon Duran were both denied twice by Flekken in the second half but it mattered not as Emery got both the result and performance he craved.

 From Tyrone Mings, meanwhile, he got a man-of-the-match display. Handed his first Premier League appearance since suffering a serious knee injury on the opening day of last season, the centre-back gave Villa a much tougher edge, winning countless headers and tackles.

 There was to be no clean sheet for Emi Martinez, who played despite suffering a hairline fracture in Sunday’s 3-0 defeat at Chelsea. But this was a vast improvement from Villa on that outing.

 Brentford, admittedly, arrived holding the Premier League's second-worst away record. Southampton, who visit on Saturday, have the worst.

 Mings and Ezri Konsa had been the central defensive partnership when Villa only conceded eight goals in the final 15 matches of the 2022-23 season and charged into the Europa Conference League.

 Boubacar Kamara was also starting for the third time in a week but did not enjoy the best opening few minutes. Presented with the ball by Mings 25 yards from his own goal, the midfielder was robbed by visiting skipper Vitaly Janelt and Kevin Schade, Brentford’s hat-trick hero from Saturday’s 4-1 win over Southampton, hit a shot which a sliding Youri Tielemans did just enough to deflect wide.

 Lucas Digne was providing a useful early outlet for the hosts and John McGinn was close to getting on the end of his dangerous cross at the far post. Watkins then shot straight at Flekken from just inside the box at the end of Villa’s best move of the opening exchanges.

 Their performance - and season - still needed a spark and Rogers, sporting a new bleached hairdo, was the man to provide it. Kamara started the move with a lovely turn and pass which set the England international scampering toward the visiting boss. After a neat exchange with Watkins, he sent a curling effort into the top corner of the net.

 Villa’s tails were up. Leon Bailey shot straight at Flekken before dinking a ball over the top for Watkins, who was pulled down by Ethan Pinnock as he looked to get a shot away. Referee Lewis Smith took his time before pointing to the spot and it was Watkins who stepped up to squeeze his penalty under the hand of Flekken to double Villa’s lead.

 Just six minutes later, it was 3-0. McGinn raced into the Brentford half and after seeing his cross blocked, quickly won the ball back. Pinnock got a touch on Rogers’ cross but Cash, arriving at the far post, struck a low first-time volley which Flekken could not keep out.

 The goalkeeper was also forced to tip over a rising Watkins effort before the break, while the latter also failed to make a clean connection on a Tielemans’ free-kick.

 Flekken remained busy after the break, first being alert to save from Digne at the near post, before then sparing his own blushes after nearly directing a punch from Tielemans’ subsequent corner into his own net.

 There could be no doubting the quality of the save he produced to deny Watkins soon after. The latter’s header from Digne’s was curling inside the post before the keeper somehow made it all the way across goal to push it wide.

 That moment took on greater significance soon after when Damsgaard gave the visitors hope, shooting high into the net from close range.

 Even then, Watkins should have restored Villa’s three-goal cushion but shot too close to Flekken after pouncing on a loose backpass.

 Things were getting tense and a Brentford substitution almost paid quick dividends, Thiago shooting over just seconds after coming on.

 Villa just could not get past Flekken and it was one of their substitutes, Jhon Duran, who was next denied by the Dutchman. This time he did just enough to stop the shot squeezing through his legs.

 There was still time for another stop, this time pushing away Duran’s drive, as Villa’s attempts to add to the scoreline were frustrated.

Villa (4-2-3-1): Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne, Kamara (Barkley 70), Tielemans, Bailey (Philogene 65), Rogers (Buendia 87), McGinn (Maatsen 87), Watkins (Duran 65) Subs not used: Torres, Carlos, Bogarde, Olsen (gk).

Brentford (4-3-3): Flekken, Van Den Berg, Pinnock, Collins, Lewis-Potter (Roerslev 80), Damsgaard, Yarmoliuk (Maghoma 65), Janelt, Mbuemo, Wissa (Carvalho 71), Schade (Thiago 71) Subs not used: Mee, Meghoma, Konak, Trevitt, Valdimarsson (gk).