Anwar El Ghazi’s last-gasp penalty fired 10-man Aston Villa to a dramatic 1-0 win against Wolves, while under-fire Manchester United coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer prepared for a crucial derby against Manchester City on Saturday.
In the first of the day’s Premier League games, Dutch winger El Ghazi struck from the spot in stoppage-time to lift Villa into eighth place.
Villa had Douglas Luiz sent off in the final minutes for two bookings after the Brazilian midfielder caught Daniel Podence with an elbow.
But Nelson Semedo’s foul on John McGinn triggered El Ghazi’s penalty before Wolves midfielder Joao Moutinho was dismissed for a second yellow card just moments from full-time in a fractious local derby.
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After two successive defeats, Villa will hope they are back on track with just their second win in six games.
Villa have won four of their five away league matches this season, while mid-table Wolves have only one win in their last five games.
With Raul Jimenez out after surgery on the fractured skull he suffered against Arsenal, Wolves handed a first Premier League start to 18-year-old striker Fabio Silva — a club record £35 million ($46 million) signing from Porto in the close-season.
It was two weeks since Villa last played after the Newcastle match was postponed due to their opponents’ coronavirus outbreak and they took a while to get going as a result.
Villa appealed for a penalty when the ball glanced off Romain Saiss’ shoulder as he stooped to head clear, but VAR ignored their protests.
AFP
