Joe Hart wowed as ‘forgotten’ Aston Villa man dazzles vs Fulham
Aston Villa found their first win of the Premier League season with an impressive 3-1 victory over Fulham on Sunday.
Marco Silva’s men established a 1-0 lead through Marco Silva before goals from Ollie Watkins, John McGinn, and Emi Buendia secured a comeback win for Aston Villa on 28 September.
Unai Emery’s men had previously struggled for goals in the Premier League, failing to score in draws with Everton and Newcastle United, as well as defeats to Crystal Palace and Brentford.
However, attacking midfielder Morgan Rogers is yet to score or assist this season, having notched 27 direct goal contributions last term.
Emi Buendia spearheads Aston Villa victory over Fulham
Buendia has been criticised this term, having earned regular game time since returning from last season’s loan spell with Bayer Leverkusen.
The playmaker was benched against Fulham, but after replacing Harvey Elliott at halftime, he notched an assist and a goal to send Aston Villa on their way to a vital win.
Discussing the 28-year-old on Match of the Day on 28 September, former Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart said: “Coming off the back of a difficult ACL injury not so long ago. Last season I was looking for his stats.
“He kind of went out of my mind a little bit, but on loan at Bayer Leverkusen, I think he got 12 games whilst he was over there.
“Bought in potentially to replace Jack Grealish at the time. This was a big moment, this was Unai Emery getting into him and saying, ‘look, can you do what Harvey Elliott struggled to do in the first half? Can you connect my strikers with the midfield, can you get in those pockets?
“He did that, and he did that very, very quickly. With his first touch, just getting in all the congestion of Fulham. Getting on the turn, getting the ball turned over.
“There’s no getting away from it, when you’re struggling for goals and you’re struggling for impact, like Buendia’s career has stalled a little bit at Aston Villa, this is a big moment.
“Ball turns over, puts it into John McGinn, who was sensational in the second half, by the way. This strike here, bang.
“He’s got himself an assist in his first five minutes. Couple of minutes later, he’s in the midfield battle, that’s a no-brainer. He has to do that when he plays for Unai Emery and Aston Villa.
“But this is what he wants to do, he wants to be part of goals, creating, or scoring them. Timing his run, arriving and then just having that peace of mind, just dropping off, taking a good touch.
“Massive goal for him.”
Emi Buendia puts himself in line for Europa League start
Buendia had previously failed to produce a goal contribution in two starts and four Premier League appearances before dazzling as a second-half substitute against Fulham.
| Emi Buendia stats | vs Fulham 28 September |
| Minutes played | 45 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 0.29 |
| Goals | 1 |
| Expected assists (xA) | 0.07 |
| Assists | 1 |
As alluded to by Hart, the 28-year-old proved his endeavour and tenacity against Marco Silva’s side, while also displaying his clinical tendencies.
Therefore, Emery knows that the previously misfiring Argentina international has what it takes to produce the goods, whereas fellow attacker Rogers remains in poor form.
Consequently, Buendia is in a good position to start in Villa’s upcoming Europa League clash with Feyenoord on Thursday, 2 October.
Earning a victory over the Dutch giants is vital for the West Midlands outfit, who still have a major point to prove despite their successive wins over Bologna and Fulham.
Emery’s men must then ensure they defeat Burnley in their next top-flight game before facing a trio of difficult fixtures against Tottenham, Premier League leaders Liverpool, and Manchester City.