Villa come from behind to claim first win of the season

Two goals in two minutes in the second half of John McGinn and Emiliano Buendia propelled Aston Villa to their first first league victory of the season while they were beating Fulham 3-1 at Villa Park.

Villa was one of the two more parts to collect three points in 2025/26 before the match on Sunday, with Wolverhampton Wanderers, and they ended up behind Raul Jimenez’s head of the third minute of Raul Jimenez.

But Ollie Watkins’ first goal in the Premier League of the campaign restored parity eight minutes before half-time.

Watch Watkins’ goal against Fulham

The Unai Emery team took control after the interval, with the introduction of Buendia proving central.

The Argentinian set up the formidable strike from McGinn to place Villa before putting himself on the match sheet shortly after.

The triumph of Villa sees them out of the last three and until the 16th of the table with six points of their first six games. Fulham, meanwhile, is slipped into the 10th.

How the match went

Fulham made a starter of flash, Jimenez crossing three defenders before looking brilliantly the delivery of Sasa Lukic’s play in the most distant corner in the third minute.

Josh King then saw an effort rejected by Emiliano Martinez while Fulham continued to work the procedure, but they were made to pay their waste before the break.

A long ball in front of Lucas Digne managed to escape the head of Joachim Andersen, with Watkins authorized to fly behind before relaxing the ball on the Bernd Leno at La Rush.

Villa was built on their momentum before the second half, with a fierce journey of McGinn in the 49th minute to find the lower corner after being chosen in space by Buendia’s Pass.

Look at McGinn’s goal against Fulham

Buendia then entered the act two minutes later, finishing Leno at a bland range after a good job from Watkins and Morgan Rogers at the bottom left, with Villa seeing the victory from there.

Villa gives Emery a perfect answer

Emery obtained an answer after having labeled his “lazy” team after his 1-1 draw with Sunderland the last time in the Premier League, the McGinn solitary strike guaranteeing a winning start for the UEFA Europa League campaign against Bologna.

The villa coach of the villa, Emery, chose to put the Watkins out of shape and Harvey Elliott in his starting alignment to try to relaunch his attack in life on Sunday, although the hosts were condemned in the first half while Fulham found himself at the top.

Their cause was not helped by Tyrone Mings’ forced substitution just after half an hour by an injury.

Despite the disruption, Watkins transported them to the level with a good finish on Leno, ending a 700 -minute series without goal in the Premier League.

Emery chose to be proactive at halftime and introduced Buendia for Elliott, the replacement having an instant impact on the bench, setting up the magnificent McGinn finish before putting himself on the match sheet just 104 seconds later.

Villa was unable to generate a clear chances of cut from this moment, although they had to call on Ezri Konsa to release Lukic’s strike after a Martinez error, but they were able to keep Fulham at the length of the arm to win a victory in mobilization of morale.

Thursday, Emery’s men confront Feyenoord in the Europa League, before welcoming Burnley to Villa Park three days later before the international break in October.

Fulham’s debauchery punished after Jimenez’s injury

Fulham has entered this match with confidence, having remained unbeaten in their last three games in all competitions, but their attack was missed after Jimenez was removed.

Jimenez only scored his second start to the Premier League season with a brand head very early, although the Mexican dicton on the procedure ended eight minutes after his goal, Adama Traore arrives in his place.

A minute after Jimenez’s withdrawal, Fulham approached doubled their advantage, with King’s direct race in the left when he saw Matty Cash fight to contain him, although King saw his tame effort saved by Martinez.

King was a positive outlet for the Marco Silva team, seeing another blow blocked by money in the 23rd minute, which saw agitated handball calls, a few moments after the teenager’s booking for simulation after going down under a challenge from Martinez.

After the break, Silva’s Silva team had trouble creating anything in the last third, with Lukic’s blocked attempt on the line representing its best opportunity to create a column, despite the introductions of Samuel Chukwueze, Kevin and Emile Smith Rowe.

Fulham will aim to bounce back to AFC Bournemouth next Friday, before welcoming Arsenal to Craven Cottage after the international break.

Club reports

Villa report | Fulham report

What managers have said

Unai Emery: “Winning is the consequence of how you build the team, how you are also individually and tactically, being coherent and demanding.

“We are better. We started (the season) so, if poor but after the break, we drew with Everton, Sunderland and Brentford. We became more or less balanced but not enough, better, but not enough.”

Marco Silva: “It is a disappointing result for us and the things that we can control, we must do them ourselves. The game went in the direction we have planned and wanted and we had a very good chance before equalizing. Other moments of us and then after conceding a goal that we should not, you cannot concede a goal like this.”

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Key facts

Ollie Watkins scored his first goal in all competitions for Aston Villa since he scored against Bournemouth in the Premier League in May 2025, ending a series of nine consecutive games without a during which he had 14 shots.

Josh King of Fulham is the first player to be warned for simulation in the consecutive appearances of the Premier League from Dan James for Manchester United in August 2019.

Aston Villa won his first victory of the season in the Premier League in what was their sixth match in the competition this season, the last that they have ever won their first match in a Premier League campaign.