Fulham 0-2 Aston Villa: Moussa Diaby scores on his debut
Fulham 0-2 Aston Villa: Moussa Diaby scores on his debut after Jaden Philogene’s first half opener to see off Marco Silva’s Cottagers after kick-off was delayed by 80 MINUTES due to Orlando thunderstorms
- Aston Villa won a first pre-season clash after draws with Newcastle and Walsall
- The game saw four bookings and 19 substitutions as well as an 80-minute delay
- Fulham confirm the signing of Raul Jimenez in £5.5m transfer from rivals Wolves
Jaden Philogene and Moussa Diaby netted to secure a first pre-season win for Unai Emery’s Aston Villa.
The Villains scored either side of the break, with Philogene breaking the deadlock after Bernd Leno had saved a penalty from Cameron Archer.
New signing Diaby – with an undisclosed fee believed to be over £50million paid to Bayer Leverkusen – got the second after the break, with a low strike in the 73rd minute.
The lack of goal threat in the absence of Aleksandar Mitrovic might concern Marco Silva, however his side have recently completed the singing of Raul Jimenez for £5.5m from Wolves, which will likely shore up that hole once the season starts.
There were 19 changes in the game from both sides, as both Emery and Silva sought to get a look at as many squad members as possible, with stars returning from their breaks with differing levels of fitness.
Thunderstorms in Orlando delayed kick-off by over an hour at the Exploria Stadium
Bernd Leno saved Cameron Archer’s 31st-minute penalty to keep his side level early on
Jaden Philogene then broke the deadlock nine minutes later after connecting with Lucas Digne’s cross
The game itself was delayed by 80 minutes as a result of thunderstorms, the game being staged in Orlando, Florida.
Perhaps uncharacteristically for a pre-season clash, the game was pock-marked by early yellow cards, with bookings shown to each of Luc Rollet de Fougerolles and Carlos Vinicius of Fulham, as well as Villa’s Ezri Konsa.
Archer’s penalty was the first real moment of the match, but the former Arsenal stopper was equal to the spot-kick, getting down low to his right to push away the strike and keep things level.
But just nine minutes later, Philogene made the breakthrough, latching on to a brilliant cross from Lucas Digne at left back with the 21-year-old finishing well between the legs of Leno.
Philogene picked up a booking of his own just after the obligatory raft of changes at the break, before Diaby doubled the ascendancy for Emery’s side.
The Frenchman timed his run to perfection to connect with a long ball over the top, beating the offside trap before taking three touches and finishing well, readjusting for a slightly heavy flick off his shin, to make it 2-0.
‘Overall, I am happy with the result, happy with different players and with trying to play different ways tactically,’ claimed former Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain and Villarreal boss Emery.
Moussa Diaby timed his run to perfection to latch onto a ball over the top to double Villa’s lead
The Frenchman was playing in his first game for his new club following a switch from Bayer Leverkusen
Unai Emery admitted after the game that he was pleased with his team’s attempts at playing in a new tactical style
MATCH FACTS
Fulham (4-2-3-1): Leno (Rodak 61′); Tete (Odutayo 88′), Rollet De Fougerolles, Diop (McCoy-Splatt 88′), Mbabu; Reed (Willian 46′), Lukic (Godo 88′); Wilson (Amissah 88′), Cairney (Harris 69′), De Cordova-Reid (Dibley-Dias 61′); Vinicius (Stansfield 69′)
Subs not used: Borto, Parkes
Booked: Rollet De Fougerolles, Vinicius
Goals: None
Manager: Marco Silva
Aston Villa (4-4-2): Olsen (Martinez 46′); Konsa (Chambers 69′), Carlos (Cash 46′), Torres (Mings 49′), Digne (Revan 62′); Philogene (Kellyman 62′), Tielemans, Kamara (Luiz 46′), Buendia (Coutinho 62′); McGinn (46′), Archer (Watkins 62′)
Subs not used: Marschall, Young
Booked: Philogene, Konsa
Goals: Philogene 40, Diaby 73′
Missed pen: Archer 31′
Manager: Unai Emery
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