Ouattara scores on debut as Brentford beat Villa

Dango Ouattara scored on his debut as Brentford earned their first Premier League win of the season with a gritty performance against Aston Villa.

Burkina Faso international Ouattara joined Brentford for a club record fee of £42.5m from Bournemouth a week ago and settled this match with a composed 12th-minute strike.

The result also ensured new Bees head coach Keith Andrews secured three points in his first home league game, having succeeded Thomas Frank in charge at Gtech Community Stadium.

Villa followed a tepid first half with a much-improved performance after the break but could not find a way past Bees goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher.

Brentford's winner was classic route one football as Kelleher's long punt was flicked on by Igor Thiago and Ouattara broke clear.

Emiliano Martinez rushed off his line to block Ouattara's initial effort, but the Brentford man showed good anticipation to meet the loose ball before he calmly stroked it into the net.

Brentford thought they had increased their advantage shortly before half-time when Mikkel Damsgaard crisply volleyed home after the ball dropped to him following Michael Kayode's long throw.

However, the video assistant referee (VAR) deemed that Bees skipper Nathan Collins had impeded Martinez and it was ruled out.

Brentford analysis: Andrews set to follow Frank's home comforts

The presence of supermodel Claudia Schiffer in the stands, with her Brentford investor and filmmaker husband Matthew Vaughn, brought a touch of stardust to the west London club for this contest.

On the pitch against Villa, the Bees were more than happy to win without razzmatazz.

Much of the success Frank engineered at Brentford was built on the diligence, energy and aggression of their home performances.

Based on this display, Andrews looks primed to follow much of the template laid down by Frank.

They snarled at Villa – baring their teeth in every 50-50 – and chased plenty of lost causes.

Last season the Bees won nine and drew six of their 19 home matches.

Their tally of 40 goals scored at the Gtech was bettered only for a home-ground haul by Liverpool (42) and Manchester City (43).

Yet Brentford also conceded a hefty 35 goals at the stadium – only relegated Southampton and Ipswich leaked more on their home turf.

The manner in which they largely controlled the game to bank the points here hinted at a slight break from last term.

These are the gains which Andrews will have identified when he replaced Frank, who left to become Tottenham boss.

After a 3-1 defeat at Nottingham Forest in their opener, this display will have given cause for optimism.

Aston Villa analysis: Stale and lacking a spark

In contrast to Brentford's direct and up-and-at-them style, Villa were largely ponderous. When faced with a wall of Brentford players, Unai Emery's side frequently passed the ball sideways or backwards.

Morgan Rogers fired just wide after a counter-attack, while Kelleher saved a low shot from John McGinn before the break.

But Villa had only two shots on target and most of their efforts were speculative at best.

Without real panache or intensity, Villa's endeavour in the final third – set-pieces aside - was snuffed out too easily by the Bees.

If you include the final game of last season, Villa have now gone three Premier League matches without scoring for the first time since July 2020 under Dean Smith.

They last failed to score a single goal across their opening two matches of a top-flight season in the 2002-03 campaign.

In truth, this all felt a little stale, considering Villa finished sixth last season, a whisker away from a Champions League spot.

They need new forward Evann Guessand, who showed a couple of nice touches on his debut, to get up to speed quickly.

Emery will also surely have his eye on at least one more new face to freshen things up before the transfer window closes on 1 September.