“Wesley strikes twice to set up Aston Villa’s demolition job at Norwich City”

Villa ruthlessly swept aside an injury-hit Norwich City to move out of the bottom three and leapfrog their opponents in the Premier League table. It was the first time Villa have scored five goals in an away Premier League fixture since they won 6-0 at Derby in April 2008.

Aston Villa’s record signing Wesley struck with two early goals as the visitors won in emphatic fashion, and were ahead after just 15 minutes. The £22m striker has come in for criticism since his move and had just two goals from seven matches before the trip to East Anglia, but the Brazilian struck again on the half-hour mark to really spark Villa.

“I can’t criticise him, I thought he was a handful,” Villa’s manager Dean Smith said. “He showed what we see in him and why we brought him to the football club. But he still has a lot of work to do to get better.”

Wesley should have had a hat-trick just before half-time but his penalty - and rebound - were brilliantly saved by goalkeeper Michael McGovern on his first Premier League start.

Villa only had to wait until three minutes after the restart for their third, with captain Jack Grealish scoring his first league goal of the season, before Conor Hourihane and Douglas Luiz added the gloss. Norwich managed to break through the Villa defence in the 87th minute, with substitute Josip Drmic scoring.

The deadlock was broken after just 15 minutes when Wesley found himself in space in the centre of the box after a ball from Anwar El Ghazi, and he expertly controlled it on his chest before slotting home. Another error from Norwich in midfield gifted Villa another chance, but John McGinn’s effort went wide. The home side had their own opportunity soon after, with Tyrone Mings going to ground to deny Teemu Pukki.

Villa doubled their lead when Wesley tapped home a Hourihane cross from between Norwich’s centre-backs for his second of the match. But Northern Irish goalkeeper McGovern made a brilliant double save in the 39th minute to deny Wesley the chance to complete a first-half hat-trick from the spot. The 35-year-old dived low to his right to save the penalty and then stood up to prevent the rebound crossing the line too.

Three minutes after the restart Villa hit their third. Grealish played a clever one-two with El Ghazi before hitting the ball into the bottom corner. Norwich’s task was made all-but impossible in the 61st minute when Matt Targett won the ball back just outside the box before letting Hourihane take the shot, which he expertly struck into the goal for Villa’s fourth.

The visitors did not let up as the second half progressed, with substitute Luiz scoring arguably his side’s best goal of the game in the 83rd minute, a curled effort from outside the box and past the outstretched McGovern.

Norwich managed to pull one back in the closing stages when substitute Drmic pounced on a defensive error from Mings, challenged goalkeeper Tom Heaton for the ball and rolled it into the empty net. “We will need to take a good look at ourselves,” said Norwich’s captain, Ben Godfrey, after a dismal afternoon for the club that finished 18 points ahead of Villa last season.
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*Sky Sports*
*Saturday, 5 October 2019*

“Wesley scores twice as Canaries thrashed at Carrow Road”

Aston Villa secured their first away points of the season with an emphatic 5-1 win over Norwich at Carrow Road.

Wesley made headlines in a chaotic first half, giving his side the lead from six yards (16) and adding a second 15 minutes later, before Michael McGovern denied him a hat-trick from the penalty spot before the break. Jack Grealish put the game beyond Norwich three minutes into the second half after netting from close range, and Conor Hourihane (61) hit a fourth for good measure with a fine curling effort from outside the box. A wonderful long-range goal by Douglas Luiz (83) confirmed the thrashing and, while Josip Drmic grabbed a late consolation (88), Norwich drop down into the relegation zone.

Both sides ditched their defensive duties in a frantic opening spell that saw Marco Stiepermann twice go close for the Canaries before Wesley opened the scoring from six yards after Anwar El Ghazi’s cross bamboozled the Norwich centre-backs. The hosts pressed for an equaliser but Tyrone Mings was unrelenting in throwing himself between goal and ball, and Todd Cantwell’s shot was also blocked on the line by Bjorn Engels. The drama continued as Wesley doubled his side’s lead, tapping in from two yards after a smart Grealish pass, but he was denied a first-half hat-trick thanks to McGovern’s diving penalty save.

Grealish made it three just after half-time, playing a one-two with El Ghazi before netting from eight yards. The Canaries continued to allow Villa all the space in the world, with Hourihane curling in a brilliant fourth from outside the box, only for substitute Luiz to go one better with a beautiful bending effort into the top corner.

Substitute Drmic took advantage of the East Anglian sunset as Villa ‘keeper Tom Heaton seemed blinded when his clearance found the Norwich striker, but while Dean Smith’s side were denied the clean sheet, the Villa boss praised his side’s “terrific performance” as the hosts were embarrassed.

Dean Smith “It was a terrific performance, we kept to our game plan really well, scored some well-worked goals. We had great shape behind the ball and it was a really comfortable win. I was just disappointed with their goal. We know we’ve got goals within the team. Wesley was a handful for them. He could’ve had the match ball as well, but I can’t criticise him. This is what we saw in him when we brought him to the football club.”

Analysis: Space in midfield key to Villa dominance

Aston Villa boss Dean Smith said this game would be won by the team that made the fewest mistakes, and Norwich made a number of them. Villa had the run of midfield and it was incredible how much space they were granted by the Canaries as Daniel Farke’s side sat back and allowed the likes of Grealish and McGinn to wander into the final third. There was simply no press and when Premier League footballers are given that much time to take aim, more often than not they will score.

The visitors were everything Norwich were not. They kept shape, chased every ball, broke quickly, and were blessed at the back with Mings, who looks worth every penny of the £20m Villa paid for him in the summer. Man of the match - Wesley had plenty to prove heading into this one and his two well-taken, first-half goals set the tone for a brilliant result. The Brazilian will be gutted he could not get a hat-trick after his penalty was well saved, but an assist for countryman Luiz was a fine way to finish off a man-of-the-match performance.
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*BBC Sport*
*Saturday, 5 October 2019*

*Aston Villa’s club record signing Wesley showed his “massive” potential with a “colossus” display in the ruthless win at injury-hit Norwich City, says manager Dean Smith.*

The 22-year-old striker scored twice as Villa moved out of the bottom three and leapfrogged their opponents in the Premier League table. Wesley, who has been criticised by some Villa fans, opened the scoring with a neat control and finish, doubling the tally with a tap-in before missing a penalty. Norwich continued to defend woefully after the restart, Jack Grealish allowed to sweep in a third to effectively end the home side’s hopes.

Conor Hourihane and Douglas Luiz added more as Canaries boss Daniel Farke’s 100th league game at the helm headed towards humiliation, before Josip Drmic tucked in a meaningless consolation which few inside Carrow Road even celebrated. Villa’s stunning win moved Smith’s side up to 14th, with Norwich sliding down to third-bottom with their fifth defeat in six games.

“Wes was a handful for their two centre-halves, we got the ball into him, he kept it and it allowed us to break from him,” Smith said.

“I thought he was a colossus up front.”

Among many positives for Aston Villa, the £22m summer signing’s performance was arguably the biggest plus-point. The Brazilian arrived under the weight of a big price tag, and therefore much expectation.

Scoring the two goals that put Villa on the path to a comfortable win certainly showed what he is capable of. Allowed acres of space for both goals, Wesley coolly controlled Anwar El Ghazi’s cross with his chest before slotting in the first and then evaded his marker to tap in Hourihane’s low cross for the second. A first hat-trick in English football evaded him, however, after a superb penalty save by Norwich keeper Michael McGovern. The Northern Irishman, making his first Premier League start aged 35, dived low to his right to stop the spot-kick, reacting quickly to spread himself and push Wesley’s shot on the rebound over the bar.

“He’s a young player, he’s only 22, he’s been in Belgium for a year or two and then Slovakia before that. So it’s a new culture, a new team a new group of players, and a big price tag,” said Smith “But he handles it well and I saw a big response from him this week.”

Asked about the criticism, Wesley added: “I don’t care about this. I keep calm, the manager and my team-mates know me. I will keep working hard and the goals will come.”

Apart from the seismic home win over champions Manchester City, Norwich’s return to the Premier League has largely been a difficult one. The Canaries, who finished 18 points above Villa last season, did not have the spending power of their Midlands rivals in the summer and their hopes of maintaining momentum to quickly put points on the board have been hampered by intense injury problems. The home side were unorganised and lacked leadership at the back, leaving Villa players with too much time and space throughout, while also sloppy in possession when trying to play out from the back.

The thumping defeat means Norwich have conceded 21 top-flight goals this season, more than any other Premier League side.

Villa had not earned a Premier League away win in 21 matches - a run going back to August 2015 - and ended that joyless sequence with a performance that will live long in the memory of the travelling fans. The Villa fans were in a jubilant mood throughout as Smith’s side clinically brushed aside a team that came up from the Championship alongside them last season.

Prince William, one of Villa’s most famous fans, was among the Carrow Road crowd as he watched with his wife Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, and their young family. Prince George was particularly impressed by Hourihane’s slick finish, the six-year-old jumping around in his Villa T-shirt in celebration. “I’ll be getting them tickets for every game now if they need them,” Villa manager Smith joked afterwards. “I hope they can get here every game if that is what it needs, I might even get them on the team bus.”

Man of the match - Jack Grealish (Aston Villa) It could have been one of several Villa players but skipper Jack Grealish was the heartbeat of his side’s performance. Playing in a more advanced role, Grealish had more touches and made more passes in the Norwich half than any other Villa player, capping his display with the crucial third goal