Aston Villa broke their goalscoring duck but were pegged back by 10-man Sunderland in a fraught 1-1 draw at the Stadium of Light.
The newly-promoted hosts, who played just under an hour a player down after reckless Reinildo saw red, defended stubbornly while offering more goal threat than out-of-sorts Villa, before a flash of inspiration from Matty Cash saw Villa ahead.
The swerving strike fooled goalkeeper Robin Roefs, as Villa found the net for the first time in 427 minutes of Premier League football. But while the long-awaited breakthrough will offer some comfort to Unai Emery, the result will not.
Sunderland’s Reinildo sees red after kicking out at Villa’s Matty Cash
Villa were pegged back eight minutes after taking the lead when Granit Xhaka planted a clever header towards the run of Wilson Isidor, who poked beyond Emi Martinez.
Matty Cash thundered in Aston Villa’s first Premier League goal of the season
Isidor has scored in each of Sunderland’s three home games so far – a goal threat Emery can only dream of as his side continue to struggle for creative spark. The Villa manager, clearly irritated, disappeared down the tunnel before the final whistle had sounded. He has plenty to ponder.
“The equaliser was brilliant and well deserved,” Sky Sports’ Roy Keane reflected. “Sunderland reacted fantastically. They’ve got strength and power. Excellent effort and good finish for the equaliser.”
Sunderland’s efforts were rewarded as Wilson Isidor rolled home the equaliser
Micah Richards, meanwhile, offered a frank assessment of Villa: “The urgency wasn’t there. Everything was too slow. They didn’t create enough. Something’s not right at this moment in time.” Villa have generated the worst xG value of any top-flight side after five played and rank 18th for shots on target – they finish this weekend marooned in the relegation zone.
Jamie Carragher also weighed in on Villa’s underperformance: “The manager didn’t show enough courage with the changes he made. Just like for like. They had the extra man against a promoted team. Nowhere near good enough.”
