Steven Gerrard’s Villa did both Everton and Leeds a big
favor by ripping Burnley apart. Emi Buendia made the most of only his second
start since February with a goal and an assist after coming in for the dropped
Philippe Coutinho.
Danny Ings scored against his old team for a fourth goal in
four matches against Burnley, and Ollie Watkins applied the killer blow.
Substitute Maxwel Cornet thumped home a stoppage-time
consolation goal for Burnley but the damage was already done, perhaps doubly so
with key defender James Tarkowski hobbling off in the second half.
Defeat means Burnley could end the weekend back in the
bottom three if Leeds and Everton pick up points from tough fixtures away to
Arsenal and Leicester, respectively, on Sunday.
Everton is in third-to-past place, two points behind Burnley
and Leeds in the tight relegation scrap.
Jackson took an unlikely 10 points from a possible 12 since
replacing the fired Sean Dyche last month. But a fourth straight victory, which
would have matched Dyche’s tally all season, proved well beyond his side as
Villa was clinical in front of goal a week after sending Norwich down with a
2-0 win over the last-placed team.
In a week where it emerged relegation would mean Burnley’s
ownership must immediately repay a “significant” proportion of a 65 million
pound ($80 million) loan taken out during its takeover in December 2020, this
was a result to concentrate minds at Turf Moor after a superb few weeks under
Jackson.
With Coutinho having made it six games without a goal or an
assist last weekend, Gerrard handed Buendia a start as one of four changes to
his side, and the Argentine needed a little over half an hour to register one
of each.
Ings had already threatened once, curling wide after cutting
in from the left, but made no mistake when Buendia’s pass split Burnley’s
center halves with seven minutes gone to allow him a simple finish.
Villa doubled the lead in the 31st minute after Burnley
failed to deal with a deep cross. Watkins and Ings worked the ball to Lucas
Digne, whose pull-back to the penalty spot found Buendia and his side-footed
shot went in with the help of a deflection off Tarkowski.
Things got worse after the break for Burnley when Tarkowski
hobbled off to be replaced by Kevin Long, and the defence was left exposed as
Watkins killed the hosts off only seven minutes into the second half.
John McGinn had space to send in a cross and Watkins was
afforded the freedom of the penalty area to head past the stranded Pope,
sealing a win which lifted Villa to 11th.
Though Cornet rounded Martinez to lash home a consolation
strike, this was an ominous defeat given the Clarets must go to Villa Park in
12 days for one of the three matches left in which they can secure their
Premier League future.
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
0 comments:
Post a Comment