Face like thunder and floodgates - national media react to Aston Villa's dramatic win over Wolves
Aston Villa won their fourth game in five opening Premier League matches after beat West Midlands rivals Wolves
by John Townley, https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/authors/john-townley/ · Birmingham LiveAston Villa's excellent start to the season continued as Unai Emery's came from behind to defeat Wolves at Villa Park.
Matheus Cunha put the visitors in front in the 25th minute by capitalising on Diego Carlos' misplaced pass on the edge of the box. The Wolves man made no mistake by slamming the ball past Emi Martinez.
Ollie Watkins levelled the game up for Villa in the 73rd minute, before Ezri Konsa converted Youri Tielemans' searching cross with two minutes left of regulation time. Jhon Duran then added a third goal for Villa in the third minute of added time by tapping in Morgan Rogers' cross.
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Here's how the national media reacted to Villa's victory...
The Guardian
by Ben Fisher
For Aston Villa, this was a thoroughly satisfying end to a difficult and yet highly memorable week. They mourned the loss of Gary Shaw, the youngest member of their 1982 European Cup-winning team, and made an impeccable return to Europe’s premier club competition. Before kick-off here there was a rousing minute’s applause for Shaw, whose family and former teammates were in attendance, and by the end a buoyant crowd celebrated a comeback victory.
It looked a long way off at half-time. With about a minute of stoppage time to run, Unai Emery had seen enough and marched down the touchline towards the tunnel with a face like thunder. He conceded Villa’s first 51 minutes was their worst showing since he took charge almost two years ago and said it was the angriest he has been as Villa manager.
BBC
James Rindle
Aston Villa's match really started in the 73rd minute when they finally shook off their European hangover and levelled through Ollie Watkins' third goal in as many matches.
After the equaliser, Villa Park expected a winner. Unai Emery's side have tasted victory in all their matches bar one this season, which was itself a battling defeat by title challengers Arsenal.
The hosts pushed for a second and were rewarded by unlikely scorer Ezri Konsa sliding in for his first goal since he netted against Wolves in March.
Sky Sports
by Ron Walker
Super-sub Jhon Duran starred again as another Aston Villa late show saw three goals in the final 13 minutes beat struggling Wolves 3-1.
Duran added a fourth goal in five sub appearances for the hosts in added time to put the gloss on a game which had appeared beyond Villa for more than an hour, as Gary O'Neil's beleaguered Wolves side frustrated them for long periods.
The home side had to come from two goals down last week to beat Everton and did it the hard way again, levelling after 73 minutes through Ollie Watkins' deflected equaliser.
Daily Mail
by Daily Mail
Aston Villa have mastered the art of winning below their best. Unai Emery considered this the worst performance of his time in charge but they still had enough firepower to blow away Wolves in a frenetic finale.
Emery feared a Champions League hangover following their midweek trip to Switzerland when Wolves went ahead through Matheus Cunha and missed chances to add a second.
It was only when supersub Jhon Duran arrived after an hour, the match swung. Ollie Watkins levelled with his side’s first shot on target after 73 minutes and when Wolves defender Yerson Mosquera was carried off, the outcome was predictable.
The Sun
Graeme Bryce
That's why they're Champions League! Unai Emery's Villa survived a first-half mauling from Wolves, who came within 17 minutes of pulling off a shock victory.
Until the floodgates opened and Villa hit back with three late goals from Ollie Watkins, Ezri Konsa - and of course Jhon Duran - to show why Villa are a league apart from their Midlands rivals.
Poor Gary O'Neil thought he had masterminded Wolves' second clean sheet in 19 league matches until his side's dramatic late collapse.
The Times
James Shield
Whatever Unai Emery told his Aston Villa players at half-time, it certainly had the desired effect as an emphatic comeback condemned Wolverhampton Wanderers to their worst sequence of results for two years.
Gary O’Neil’s side, who have now taken only one point from their opening five outings of the season, seized control of a predictably feisty Midlands derby through a goal from Matheus Cunha.
But, dedicating Villa’s latest impressive victory to the late Gary Shaw, whose passing on Monday prompted a number of poignant tributes, Emery was delighted by the response of his team as strikes from Ollie Watkins and Ezri Konsa turned the contest on its head before Jhon Durán added a third in second-half stoppage time.
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