Aston Villa Under-21s loss to Arsenal Under-21s in Premier League 2, Digi Mart USA News (Boreham Wood, Hertfordshire): Aston Villa fell to their first Premier League 2 defeat in four matches on Sunday afternoon, losing 5-2 to a strong Arsenal side. Cole Brannigan put Villa’s Under-21s ahead just five minutes into the encounter, but goals from Maalik Hashi and Andre Harriman-Annous quickly swung the game back in Arsenal’s favor.
Harriman-Annous added his second three minutes into the second half to take the game away from the Villans, with Max Downman and Evan Mooney completing the victory with goals either side of a sweet strike from Jack McGrath. The Gunners named a strong side at Boreham Wood’s Mangata Developments Stadium, with Downman and Marli Salmon starting alongside William Saliba, who stepped up his injury rehabilitation.
It was the Villans, however, who started the stronger in Hertfordshire, taking the lead just five minutes in when Alfie Lynskey burst through the middle and fed Brannigan, who kept his cool to finish one-on-one and break the deadlock. Arsenal responded immediately and were the stronger team for much of the opening period, with Sam Lewis brave and alert to deny Harriman-Annous an equalizer a little over 10 minutes later.
Despite Villa showing signs of threat on the counterattack, the hosts turned the tie on its head by the half-hour mark to lead 2-1. Midway through the opening period, enterprising work from Theo Julienne saw him wriggle free from the visiting defense inside the area and find Hashi, who finished well to restore parity.
Four minutes later, Downman picked out Marcel Washington, who sent a ball into the box for Harriman-Annous to turn home, giving the North London side the lead at the break.
Just three minutes into the second half, Arsenal found a crucial third goal. Harriman-Annous robbed Woody Burgess of possession on the halfway line, raced down the left-hand side into the area, and finished confidently past Lewis.
With two goals needed to salvage anything, the Villans returned to the attack. Shortly after Arsenal’s third, Lynskey cut inside into the box and forced Jack Porter into a decent save.
The home keeper had to be alert again moments later to tip Lynskey’s looping free kick over the bar, while the Gunners remained a constant threat. James Scanlon’s fierce effort rattled the crossbar from an angle as the hour mark approached.
McGrath and Markie Meade were introduced for Villa just after the hour, as Shan and his players searched for a route back into the game.
Villa struggled to match Arsenal’s pace and intensity for large parts of the match, and the result was sealed 12 minutes from time when Downman was fed on the edge of the area, turned, and fired an effort into the far corner with his left foot. McGrath pulled a goal back four minutes from time for the visitors, firing home a powerful effort from distance after his free kick was blocked by the wall, but it proved too little, too late as substitute Mooney added a fifth for the home side in stoppage time.
