Aston Villa Miss Chance to go Second in Premier League

At a glance

• Morgan Rogers puts Aston Villa ahead with powerful strike
• Teenager Rayan equalises with first goal in English football
• PLAYER RATINGS

Teenager Rayan scored his first goal in English football as Bournemouth drew with Aston Villa, who missed the chance to go second in the Premier League.

Visitors Villa went ahead in the 22nd minute with their first shot on goal. Morgan Rogers linked up with fellow England international Jadon Sancho and blasted a finish high into the Cherries’ net.

Rayan had headed against the crossbar in the first half and grabbed a memorable equaliser 10 minutes into the second half with a fine solo effort.

The 19-year-old Brazilian, making a first start following his recent move from Vasco da Gama for an initial £24.7m, collected the ball close to the right touchline, ran away from Lucas Digne and shot low past Emiliano Martinez.

Bournemouth came closest to scoring a winner but substitute Ryan Christie had an effort superbly pushed over the bar by Martinez.

Villa would have gone above Manchester City with a victory.

However, this draw leaves them third, on the same points as Pep Guardiola’s City but having played one more game, and now nine points behind leaders Arsenal after the Gunners defeated Sunderland at Emirates Stadium.

Aston Villa analysis: More dropped points as title hopes fade

Aston Villa have been English champions seven times in their history, but not since 1980-81.

A run of eight successive wins in November and December left their fans dreaming of glory, with Villa being only three points off the top just after Christmas.

But head coach Unai Emery has consistently talked down his side’s chances of winning the Premier League, last month saying they were not in contention to finish in the top five.

This failure to hold on to the three points was further evidence that Emery’s side, although still clearly on an upward trajectory, are not ready to sustain a serious push for the Premier League title.

Villa have now won two, drawn two and lost three of their past seven in the league, picking up eight points out of a possible 21.

Boosted by the return of England striker Ollie Watkins, who had missed the shock 1-0 home defeat by Brentford, Villa thought they had taken the lead, only for Watkins to be offside when tapping in from Rogers’ square pass.

Villa did take the lead two minutes later, but they could not build on that and only managed four shots on target, compared to nine from the hosts.

The Cherries were the better side in the second half and fully deserved their point, with Martinez having to make seven saves to secure a hard-earned draw for Villa.

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Champions League qualification is surely Villa’s most realistic target now, with a top-five position in the Premier League likely to be enough for a return to the elite continental competition.

With 13 games to go, Villa are eight points clear of sixth-placed Liverpool, although the Reds have played one fewer match.

More to follow.

Average rating7.54

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Source: BBC