Premier League GW25 - Fulham vs Aston Villa

Fulham vs Aston Villa | Picture Credits: Premier League Website

Aston Villa and Fulham played in a thrilling Premier League match that was broadcast live from Craven Cottage, with the visitors winning 2-1. Ollie Watkins stole the show in a fiercely contested match, scoring twice to give Unai Emery's team the victory they needed to leave London with three points.

Fulham:

Fulham, who have won their last three Premier League games, hopes to build on this success. The Cottagers have only lost twice in their previous nine division home games, winning six of them. If things go their way, a victory might propel them up to 11th position in the standings, but they will have to perform at their highest level to defeat Villa tonight. Rodrigo Muniz, a Brazilian striker who has scored three goals in his past two games after going scoreless in his first ten Premier League matches, will be Marco Silva's go-to attacker once more. The last time they played Bournemouth, Fulham won 3-1 at home.

Aston Villa:

Aston Villa will be trying to pick up the pieces following a dismal run of performance. While the Villans had an excellent start to the season, they have already lost three of their last six Premier League games (W2 D1), which is equal to their total in the previous 21 games. The only goal in Unai Emery's team's most recent 2-1 loss to Manchester United came from Douglas Luiz. Since last May, the Midlands team has not dropped consecutive league games. Villa has enjoyed great success lately in the city, winning their past nine division games against teams based in London, including two victories against Fulham.

Line ups:

FULHAM (4-2-3-1): Bernd Leno; Antonee Robinson, Tim Ream, Issa Diop, Timothy Castagne; Tom Cairney, Joao Palhinha; Willian, Andreas Pereira, Bobby De Cordova-Reid; Rodrigo Muniz.

FULHAM SUBS: Marek Rodak, Calvin Bassey, Tosin Adarabioyo, Harrison Reed, Harry Wilson, Adama Traore, Fode Ballo-Toure, Alex Iwobi, Sasa Lukic.

ASTON VILLA (4-2-3-1): Emiliano Martinez; Alex Moreno, Clement Lenglet, Pau Torres, Matty Cash; Douglas Luiz, Youri Tielemans; Jacob Ramsey, John McGinn, Leon Bailey; Ollie Watkins.

ASTON VILLA SUBS: Lucas Digne, Calum Chambers, Joe Gauci, Moussa Diaby, Nicolo Zaniolo, Robin Olsen, Morgan Rogers, Kaine Kesler-Hayden, Tim Iroegbunam.

Craven Cottage Stadium | Picture Credits: Lineup For

First Half Drama: Disallowed Goals and Watkins Opener:

Dramatic goals that were disallowed and a clinical finish that handed Villa the lead characterized the first half.

Watkins' goal following a Tielemans through pass gave Villa the impression that they were up early on, but the assistant referee's flag indicated offside, ending the celebrations.

Villa took advantage of a Fulham error in the twenty-third minute. Watkins turned inside the area and calmly slotted the ball into the bottom corner, giving Fulham goalkeeper Leno no chance, following Ramsey's prompt closing down of Willian.

Moreno's header from a Luiz corner gave Villa a two goal lead, but VAR stepped in and declared the goal offside. Despite goals being disallowed for both teams, Villa led 1-0 at the half.

Fulham was behind 1-0 at the interval as a result of Watkins' excellent goal. After their own goal was disallowed, Villa's defense held firm, making it difficult for Marco Silva's team to penetrate. Everything was in place for an exciting second half.

Second Half: Watkins Double and Muniz Response:

The second half saw more action as Fulham rallied and Watkins kept up his impressive play.

In the 56th minute, Villa continued to lead after a stunning combination. With poise, Youri Tielemans received the ball and threaded a perfect throughball to Watkins. The English striker beat the defence and sent the ball under Leno to give Villa a 2-0 lead.

Rodrigo Muniz gave Fulham a lifeline in the 63rd minute when he took advantage of an excellent pass from Antonee Robinson. Robinson was the recipient of a pinpoint pass from Cairney, and he sent a threatening ball into the area. Muniz cut the lead to 2-1 after outpacing Martinez to the ball and putting it in the back of the net.

Villa Hold On for Vital Win:

Notwithstanding the difficulties at Craven Cottage, Aston Villa defeated Fulham 2-1. Watkins' early goal and two goals in the second half proved to be crucial, while Muniz's answer brought some late drama. Villa's defense stayed strong as the away team gained three vital points despite Fulham's attempts to rally. After some recent defeats, Unai Emery's team showed resiliency and preserved their stellar record against London opponents. Marco Silva of Fulham will think back on lost chances as his team looks to recover in their upcoming match. The Premier League season is still full of highs and lows, and this match was no exception.

Watkins scored a goal and gave Villa a 0-1 lead | Picture Credits: Premier League Website

Watkins scored one more goal which gave Villa a strong lead of 0-2 | Picture Credits: Premier League Website

Muniz scored a goal and broke the deadlock for Fulham keeping their hopes alive for a comeback | Picture Credits: Premier League Website