Aston Villa hosted Brentford in friendly at Villa Park on Tuesday, as both teams prepare for the return of the Premier League.
Josh Dasilva led the Bees, but the hosts responded with second-half goals by Ollie Watkins (and Tyrone Mings) to win 2-1.
After a slow start, the game exploded into life after 15 minutes. Jacob Ramsey grabbed the ball just inside Brentford’s half and began a mazy run that almost ended in a spectacular goal.
The midfielder from home immediately started to move forward, drawing in five more defenders, before reaching the penalty box. He pulled a shot across goal and forced David Raya to make a save with one hand.
Halfway through the first period, Danny Ings pushed Brentford’s No.1 to the test three times in the same time as Villa increased the pressure. After 42 minutes, Ings had the ball in the net. He tapped home a rebound after Carney Chukwuemeka’s goal, but the striker turned to see the linesman flag for offside.
The Bees got their first shot of match just minutes later when Dasilva capitalized on a defensive error and fired past Robin Olsen at a tight angle.
Watkins made his debut at half-time. He levelled the scores after 56 mins, firing home from outside the box after having been teed by Chukwuemeka.
Brentford continued to score shots and John McGinn’s low drive was denied by Alvaro Fernandez’s brilliant stop.
Villa took the lead after 72 minutes, when Mings scored a header to the goal.
Calum Chambers’ great block stopped Villa’s final attack and ended Villa’s positive afternoon with a win.
