Aston Villa manager Dean Smith said his side were taught a “harsh lesson” as two early goals - including a debut strike for Harry Wilson - saw Bournemouth sink the Premier League newcomers.

The Cherries were awarded a penalty after just 45 seconds when Callum Wilson was brought down in the box by Tom Heaton - on his home debut - and Joshua King made no mistake from the spot.

Harry Wilson, on a season-long loan at Eddie Howe’s side from Liverpool, doubled the visitors’ lead with just 12 minutes played when a deflection took his left-footed strike past Heaton.

Douglas Luiz, on his first start for Villa following his £15m switch from Manchester City, scored a consolation for the hosts, finding the top corner with a stunning strike from outside the box.

“We made two big mistakes, they had two goals in 10 minutes and it’s difficult to come back from that in this league,” Smith told BBC Match of the Day.

“You’re always chasing at 2-0 and it allows them to slow it down and kill the game a little bit.

“We kept trying. I felt John McGinn drove the game forward, he had a couple of chances in the first half and we got the goal through Douglas, but we have to be better in possession and it’s a harsh lesson.”

In a fiery encounter at Villa Park - hosting its first top-flight match in 1,197 days - Bournemouth were lucky to see out the first half with all 11 men as Philip Billing walked a tightrope with a number of poor challenges before the break.

It was Villa who enjoyed the lion’s share of the possession, and they went close to getting an equaliser when chances fell to McGinn and Trezeguet, among others.

But it ended as Bournemouth’s first victory of the new campaign, and was the first time they have won their opening away league fixture in consecutive seasons since a run of three between 1996-1998.

“Losing the game is harsh on us,” Smith added. “We created chances but we have got to take them - they took their chances and we didn’t.

“I’m not disappointed in the way we’ve played, I’m just disappointed in the results.”

Howe made two changes from the Bournemouth starting XI that drew with Sheffield United last week, and while his injury-hit squad remain without a host of key players, they could not have asked for a better start to life on the road this season.

Martin Atkinson’s decision to award them a penalty inside the first minute was met by stunned silence in Villa Park. King sent Heaton - who joined Villa from Burnley in the summer - the wrong way with his spot-kick.

The silence proved even more deafening some 10 minutes later when Harry Wilson, who was on loan at Derby last season, made it two. He capitalised on a Luiz mistake before letting fly from outside the box, with his goal aided by a hefty deflection.

“[Wilson] looked like he fitted into the team, he was getting balls in between the lines,” Howe told BBC Match of the Day. “The Premier League is such a high level, it will be a very hard challenge but he’s certainly started really well.”

Villa soon started to find their feet on home soil as the tension started to boil over, with visiting midfielder Billing involved in a melee with another of Villa’s new signings, Wesley.

Moment later, Billing received a yellow card following the first of two poor challenges on McGinn, and more questionable tackles followed on Jack Grealish and Luiz before his manager hauled him off at half-time.

Villa controlled proceedings in the second half, yet Bournemouth still saw chances to extend their lead go begging and found a second wind after Luiz’s goal, with Ryan Fraser going close in the dying minutes.

Howe added: “It was a big result for us today. We knew the importance, the game was still in the balance at half-time, but more pleasing for us was the way we saw out the game after letting the lead slip last week.

“It was great to see we were creating chances. We were a threat. Aston Villa are a very good team. They have quality players but we managed to stay ahead. We defended the last 10-15 minutes really well.”

Villa see chances wasted

Had Villa expected a gentle reintroduction to Premier League life, last week’s late defeat by Tottenham and conceding two goals inside 12 minutes against Bournemouth gave them a taste of the harsh reality.

Five of Smith’s starting line-up were making their home debuts following Villa’s mass spending during the transfer window, but new signing Luiz failed to impress his new team’s fans in a sloppy first-half performance.

The Brazilian was at fault for Wilson’s goal, dummying a ball between his legs after mistakenly thinking a team-mate was nearby, allowing the Bournemouth man to intercept possession.

Minutes later, Luiz was lucky to avoid scoring an own goal, sending the ball towards his own net but over the bar from a delivery fired across goal by Callum Wilson.

After the break, Villa saw a penalty appeal denied by the video assistant referee after Wesley was felled by Bournemouth keeper Aaron Ramsdale. But they continued to go close to finding the back of the net, including a chance for Neil Taylor, who is looking for his first club goal since 2010.

Luiz earned some reprieve with his delightful goal, curling his strike in from a Grealish assist, and his joy was evident as he buoyed the Villa Park crowd on.

But Bournemouth stayed solid at the back as the clock ticked down, and Bjorn Engels scuppered the home side’s final chance with a header from close range.

Aston Villa have lost 14 of their last 15 Premier League games (including their last spell in the top flight in 2016), drawing the other one and last winning a Premier League game in February 2016 (2-0 v Norwich).

Aston Villa have lost consecutive home leagues games for the first time since February 2017.

Douglas Luiz netted his first goal in European league football in his 40th game (two games in the Premier League, 38 in La Liga with Girona).

*Man of the match - John McGinn (Aston Villa)*
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*The Guardian*
*Saturday 17 August 2019*

“Harry Wilson goal edges Bournemouth past Aston Villa after early blitz “

There was no mistaking the optimism around Villa Park before kick-off. This was the hosts’ first Premier League home match in more than three years and, with a revamped team guided by a manager and captain who both used to be regulars in the Holte End, the locals had much to be excited about. The players were roared on to the pitch and then … oops! Villa conceded a penalty after 46 seconds.

Things soon got worse for the hosts. But even though they wound up with no points, Villa improved as the match progressed. Their fans need not abandon all that hope.

The start, though, sure was poxy. After Callum Wilson beat Tom Heaton to a through-ball and got clattered by the goalkeeper, Josh King scored from the penalty spot. Ten minutes later a long-range shot by the Liverpool loanee Harry Wilson deflected off Tyrone Mings and flew into the net.

The ball had come to Wilson via an ill-judged dummy by Douglas Luiz, who had an eventful first start for Villa since joining from Manchester City. He made several errors that could be attributed to a lack of familiarity with his new teammates but showed his class with a sumptuous goal in the second half.

With 11 new signings in his squad, Dean Smith no doubt expected teething trouble but he waved off that explanation, insisting that “mistakes can happen in any game”. Villa must cut them out quickly – they cannot keep allowing teams to establish leads as effortlessly as Bournemouth did in this match.

Villa had plenty of the play after that and, as they did in the defeat at Spurs, they produced positives. John McGinn was integral to much of what they did well.

The Scot threatened even before Bournemouth’s second goal, fizzing a shot from 20 yards over the bar. He went close two more times in the first half, once thwarted by Aaron Ramsdale and once lashing a half-volley into the side-netting.

Trezeguet went closer before half-time after good service by Wesley but Nathan Aké blocked on the line. That came moments after Bournemouth nearly nicked a third goal, Heaton denying Harry Wilson after Douglas Luiz gave away possession again.

Douglas Luiz was not the only holding midfielder to struggle. Philip Billing committed so many fouls that he was substituted at half-time to avoid abusing the leniency of a referee who showed him only a yellow card.

Villa dominated in the second period but could not break through a defence well led by Aké. Jack Grealish curled a shot wide from the edge of the area. Then he headed over from six yards after a cross by Ahmed Elmohamady. In the 71st minute Douglas Luiz collected a pass from Grealish before curling a wonderful shot into the top corner from over 20 yards. Villa pressed hard for an equaliser but in vain.