Premier League news: Donyell Malen’s unstoppable mission to win sees Aston Villa beat Burnley
Donyell Malen walked away with the Man of the Match award after scoring both goals in Aston Villa’s 2-1 victory over Burnley on Sunday.
The result pushes Unai Emery’s improving team up to 13th in the league table, while Burnley continue to languish in the relegation zone.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer Harrison Pearce identifies three reasons why the Midlands club won the clash at Villa Park.
Malen’s mission
Aston Villa – who endured a torrid start to the campaign – extended their winning run in all competitions to four as Malen bagged a double.
Malen, it must be said, had experienced mixed fortunes since joining from Borussia Dortmund last season, with Emery often using the forward as an impact substitute.
As a result, this was by some distance Malen’s best performance in a claret and blue shirt.
Having previously failed to make a real impression in matches, he was highly effective on Sunday and involved in most of the good attacking opportunities.
Mirroring a change to the wider team, it looks like he could finally have his mojo back.
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Midfield maestros
Villa’s reigning Young Player of the Year, Morgan Rogers, is another player who has largely flattered to deceive in recent months.
There were times in the first six games of the season when Rogers looked for the early pass rather than advancing with the ball, perhaps because Emery was playing him more centrally behind Ollie Watkins.
Against Burnley, however, Rogers was back on the left, and the England international earned himself an assist for Malen’s second goal by picking up the ball, driving forward, and playing a lovely, weighted pass into the Dutchman’s path.
Elsewhere, Lamare Bogarde was also outstanding, mainly because of his amazing passing range and defensive reassurance.
The 21-year-old had a 97% pass accuracy rate, took 68 touches, and completed 56 passes as he made it look easy to cut open Burnley.
Bogarde is clearly very versatile and has seen most of his minutes in defence, but the defensive midfielder position might just suit him down to a tee.
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Patterns forming
Generally speaking, a perfect Emery goal starts with the centre-backs, moves into the midfield, and ends with a willing run into space by one of the forwards.
Such patterns, which have been notably absent of late, began to make a reappearance against Burnley, with fluid attackers playing triangle passes around Burnley defenders.
Indeed, that’s exactly what happened for the second goal as Malen ran in off the shoulder before shooting once he had space in the box.
With Emery’s tactical preferences now coming to the party and results fast improving, Villa’s bad start to the season has almost completely been erased from fans’ minds.
A confidence-building cup run in the Europa League should be next on the agenda as well as continued improvement in the Premier League.
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