Aston Villa continued their impressive Premier League form with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Villa Park, courtesy of Boubacar Kamara's magnificent second-half strike that propelled Unai Emery's side to third in the table.
Wolves Dominate But Fail to Convert
The visitors produced what many considered their best performance of the season, creating numerous opportunities throughout the match. Jørgen Strand Larsen thought he'd opened the scoring early on, only for his effort to be ruled out for offside.
Wolves continued to press and came agonisingly close just before half-time when Yerson Mosquera's powerful header forced Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez into a spectacular save, the Argentine pushing the ball onto the crossbar with his fingertips before scrambling it clear.
The second half began with Wolves maintaining their aggressive approach, and they nearly broke the deadlock seven minutes after the restart. Following a swift counter-attack, Jean-Ricner Bellegarde delivered a perfect ball across the six-yard box that seemed destined for Strand Larsen's tap-in, only for Pau Torres to make a crucial intervention, clearing the danger and leaving the Wolves striker grounded.
Kamara's Moment of Magic
Against the run of play, Villa found their breakthrough in the 65th minute. Captain John McGinn drove down the right flank before cutting the ball back to Kamara, who had advanced into the D on the edge of the penalty area.
The French midfielder controlled with his left foot, opened his body, and unleashed an unstoppable shot that flew into the top corner, leaving Wolves goalkeeper Sam Johnstone with no chance and sending the home supporters into raptures.
The goal transformed Villa, who began to dominate proceedings and came close to doubling their lead when Donyell Malen - starting ahead of Ollie Watkins after his Europa League brace - was denied by Johnstone's legs after the keeper had initially misjudged a high cross.
Late Drama and VAR Controversy
The match saw late tension when referee Chris Kavanagh was advised to review the VAR monitor for a poor challenge by Jhon Arias on goalscorer Kamara. Villa Park anticipated a red card, but Kavanagh upheld his original yellow card decision, much to the relief of the visitors.
With nine minutes of added time, Wolves pushed for an equaliser and Martínez was called into action again to deny João Gomes, ensuring Villa secured all three points and their seventh league victory in eight matches.
The result moves Aston Villa temporarily to third position in the Premier League, just one point behind second-placed Manchester City, while extending Wolves' winless run that dates back to April, adding pressure to new manager Rob Edwards in his second game in charge.
