Aston Villa upends Wigan Athletic at home, advance in Carabao Cup
By Josh Tonti
Roll out the red carpets, Aston Villa Football Club is on a winning streak. On Tuesday evening, Steve Bruce’s second-team squad upended Wigan Athletic at home. Goals from Scott Hogan, Albert Adomah, and Birkir Bjarnason see Villa through to The Carabao Cup third-round.
Well that was fun, right?
Aston Villa lined-up in a 4-4-1-1: Steer; Bree, Elphick, De Laet, Clark; Adomah, Gardner, Doyle-Hayes, Bjarnason; O’Hare; Hogan.
A frenetic first-half saw four goals in total: 3 from the home side and one from the visitors through Ryan Colcough. Aston Villa began the match early on the front-foot with 3-4 corners from the opening 15 minutes.
Scott Hogan eventually broke the deadlock with a sliding finish in the 19th minute. Albert Adomah – who was excellent on the right wing – collected the ball, sprinted through his marker, and crossed to Hogan.
Not long after, the same Adomah produced a terrific finish from Bjarnason’s work on the left flank:
Wigan retaliated in the 43rd minute to make it 2-1, but Scott Hogan came to the rescue. Hogan recorded a second-half brace through this turn and strike:
Wigan, who won their first four matches to begin the early year, took control to begin the second-half. Northern Ireland international Will Grigg was left isolated up top for periods of the match. That, and a handful of saves from Jed Steer, kept The Latics mostly out of Villa’s net.
Birkir Bjarnason added a fourth after some neat technical quality, but it honestly could have been more. Aston Villa thoroughly dominated to where 6-7 goals was not out of the question.
Villa debutantes impressed:
Steve Bruce introduced a pair of new teenagers to the first team. Weekday cup action gave 18-year old defender Mitch Clark the chance to feature in an under-manned position: left back. Clark took his chance and then some by hardly putting a bad foot forward. Moreover, the move freed Birkir Bjarnason to finally play his best position – left wing, and he played well.
Not to be outdone, Republic of Ireland youth international Jake Doyle-Hayes, also 18, was fantastic by most accounts. Doyle-Hayes played alongside Villa outcast Gary Gardner in central midfield, handling much of the defensive work. He may not get further chances with the first team this year, but Doyle-Hayes alongside Callum O’Hare are ones for the future.
Outcasts given a lifeline:
The most interesting aspect of Steve Bruce’s team selection? The outcasts given a lifeline. Tommy Elphick started in central defense, while the aforementioned Gardner started in midfield. Both want prospective buyers watching their performances. Perhaps a further transfer or two prompts another buying opportunity to strengthen the squad.
Furthermore, Ross McCormack made the bench too as the most senior player to choose from in-match.
Next: Aston Villa Youngsters Continue To Impress
Next up:
The third-round draw takes place Thursday, August 24th at 4:15AM GMT. Yes, 4:15AM as the draw takes place in China. It is to be determined whether or not Aston Villa will be a seeded club in the third-round draw.