Clarets have the Wood over Villa as they storm home
BURNLEY 3 ASTON VILLA 2 By David Anderson
STUNNED Dean Smith claimed Aston Villa threw away three points after they were mugged by Burnley at Turf Moor.
Villa blew the lead twice as the Clarets capitalised on slack defending to score three times in 27 second-half minutes.
And the Villa boss said: “The word I have used is disbelief. I’ve just said to the players we have thrown three points away with really poor defending with basic errors.
“At half-time we should have had the game won.
“Performance-wise, we should have won the game comfortably but they have because of our lapses in concentration in the way we defended hopeful balls into the box.”
Victory continues Burnley’s great run following their league win at Liverpool and cup victory over Fulham.
Boss Sean Dyche said: “We never lack resilience or belief. I thought Villa were excellent in the first half – by far the better team.
“We stayed in it and at half-time I said that I didn’t think they would be as strong and that we could do miles better. There was no shouting or screaming.
“We got on the front foot and we’ve never lacked the mentality to do what we need to do to win.”
Villa felt they should have had a hatful and Burnley struggled against the skill and movement of Ollie Watkins, Jack Grealish, Ross Barkley and Bertrand Traore in the first half.Villa opened the scoring in the 14th minute when Grealish fed the overlapping Matt Targett and his low cross from the left was deftly turned home byWatkins.
Nick Pope denied Villa repeatedly and the England goalkeeper saved from Grealish, and Watkins and Barkley hit the face of the crossbar.
Burnley were transformed after half-time and equalised in the 52nd minute. Chris Wood won a corner on the left and formerVilla midfielder Ashley Westwood swung in the set-piece for the unmarked Ben Mee to head home from inside the six-yard box.
Villa retook the lead midway the half and it was Grealish, left, who did the damage. He ran at the Burnley defence before feeding Douglas Luiz, who centred for Grealish to slide the ball home and register his seventh goal and 10th assist of the campaign.
Burnley levelled again in the 76th minute when Dwight McNeil’s angled drive beat everyone.
They then bagged the winner three minutes later when McNeil crossed for Wood to head home.
BURNLEY (4-4-2): Pope 7; Lowton 6, Tarkowski 6, Mee 7, Pieters 6; Brady 6 (Gudmundsson 60, 6), Westwood 7, Brownhill 5 (Cork 46, 7), McNeil 7; Wood 7, Rodriguez 6 (Vydra 75, 6). Goals:
Mee 52, McNeil 76, Wood 79. ASTON VILA (4-2-3-1): Martinez 5; Cash 6, Konsa 5, Mings 6, Targett 6; Luiz 6 (Davis 89, 6), McGinn 7; Traore 7, (Trezeguet 83, 6), Barkley 7 (El Ghazi 83, 6), Grealish 8; Watkins 7. Goals: Watkins 14, Grealish 68.