Brentford secured their first victory of the 2025/26 Premier League season with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Aston Villa at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday, August 23. The win also marked the Bees’ first home success of the campaign, thanks to debutant Dango Ouattara’s early strike.
Softfootball reported that the Bees were going to be without Yoane Wissa for the match, but that didn’t deter the team as they found success without their talisman.
The decisive moment came just 12 minutes in a long ball from Caoimhín Kelleher was flicked on by Igor Thiago, releasing Ouattara through the Villa backline. His initial effort was saved by Emiliano Martínez, but the Burkina Faso international reacted quickest, tucking away the rebound to announce himself in style to the Brentford faithful.
From that point, Brentford focused on control and defensive solidity. Villa, meanwhile, continued to look disjointed in attack. Despite enjoying more possession, Unai Emery’s men struggled to turn dominance into goals. Ollie Watkins was isolated for much of the first half, with their best opening coming from John McGinn’s low drive, smartly denied by Kelleher’s outstretched boot.
A celebratory Brentford posted a picture of the match winner on their official X handle with no written caption but a camera emoji, in a clear message of joy.
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The Bees thought they had doubled their advantage shortly before the break when Mikkel Damsgaard volleyed home brilliantly, but the goal was chalked off due to a foul by Nathan Collins in the build-up.
Villa improved after the restart, pressing higher and asking more questions of the Brentford defense. Morgan Rogers came closest, only to be denied by a superb sliding block from Michael Kayode. Substitute Emiliano Buendía and midfielder Youri Tielemans both saw efforts drift wide as the visitors grew increasingly desperate.
However, Brentford remained resolute, digging in to protect their slender advantage. The clean sheet was especially significant, ending a run of eight league meetings without shutting out Villa.
For the visitors, the defeat stretched their run without a Premier League goal to three games, their longest drought since July 2020, and brought an end to a six-match unbeaten head-to-head streak against Brentford. Emery’s side now sits on just one point from their opening two fixtures, raising early questions about their attacking efficiency.
As for Brentford, Keith Andrews will take huge encouragement from the performance and result. With a debut goal from their record signing and a first win under their new manager, the Bees head into the next round with much-needed momentum.
