Aston Villa

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your thoughts after Wednesday's Carabao Cup ties between Bournemouth and Aston Villa.

Here are some of your comments:

Bournemouth fans

Hugh: Showed rotation works with a strong squad. Great performance. Making it hard for the manager to pick a first team is good.

Tom: It is genuinely getting like Groundhog Day for the Cherries - go out midweek, win by two or more to nil, do the same at the weekend and repeat. We are in dream world. Hope to keep it up. Up the Cherries!

Malcolm: I have learned that whoever starts they have the trust of the manager and team-mates alike. The players know how Rose's system works and they execute the plan very well. Incoming players Soler, Juanlu and Diakite were all excellent and Rodriguez put in a shift up top. 3-0 is becoming a nice habit.

Graham: This squad of players fear no-one. Marco Rose has them playing well and this was another great result.

Aston Villa fans

Joe: Poor game from Villa and Bournemouth wanted it more than us. Would've been nice to get through to the quarter-finals but I think we need to focus on the league and the Champions League. However, I still don't think that is an excuse to play like that. I was glad to see Alysson coming on and making an impact once again. I hope this continues and that we can forget about this loss and focus forward.

Pammy: Absolutely pathetic performance and all the Villa faithful in attendance should get their hard-earned money back. Mr Emery, you might be untouchable but you got this is so wrong.

Prit: If on Saturday we saw the Dr Jekyll Aston Villa, this was very much Mr Hyde. Bournemouth had more desire, closed down our defenders, broke quickly and totally deserved the victory.

Rob: A lacklustre display from a depleted Villa team but it's hard to be annoyed when we play Barcelona at the Nou Camp next week. The League Cup is always the last priority for Unai and I'm surprised that he risked the likes of McGinn with any game time at all. The fact is we don't have a deep enough squad to compete on four fronts so we put a line through this one and move on.

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery spoke to BBC Radio WM after his side exited the Carabao Cup in the round of 16: "We have played against Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium four times since I arrived here at Aston Villa. We played the same matches - winning and drawing and losing in this instance. Bournemouth are always very intense here.

"They are good at creating chances, so we needed our defence and our goalkeeper to be compact. We were creating chances and we had our own opportunities to bring us level in the match or at least set a closer result. We were also being clinical in the second half.

"This is a match we have lost, but I can't tell my players anything because I think they made an effort and they played the plan we set up. Bournemouth played well and played intensely, they deserved to win.

"We must move on now and try to think about our next challenge on Saturday which is Fulham at home before the Champions League next Tuesday."

On making nine changes for the fixture: "We needed fresh players. We could've lost this match whether we played with the players in my starting XI or with the players who were at home."

On how close Alejandro Garnacho is to getting Premier League minutes: "He got 30 minutes in this match, a good 30 minutes. He is progressing and getting better. This is the way."

Hear more from Unai Emery by hitting play below or listen on BBC Sounds

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Bournemouth's performance

What did you make of Aston Villa's display?

Reaction and analysis to follow - and come back on Thursday for a selection of your replies.

There are five Carabao Cup fourth round games on Wednesday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Manchester City v Brighton (19:30)

• Bournemouth v Aston Villa

• Fulham v Crystal Palace

• Sunderland v Brentford

• Liverpool v Chelsea (20:00)

Kick-off times 19:45 GMT unless stated.

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on your smart speaker. Just say "Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to play Chelsea v Hull City" or "Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to play the Everton match", for example.

New this season: Live match updates

Fans of Premier League clubs can now get real-time scores live on their phone lock screen for every game.

Simply follow your favourite football teams on the BBC Sport app for updates throughout the 2026-27 season.

Find out more here

Image source, BBC Sport

New this season: Match of the Day Predictor

Simply predict the outcome of the six fixtures we've selected from across domestic and European competitions every week.

Players can join at any time, get involved with the latest round and start building a streak.

Read more about it here

You can find the predictor in the navigation bar at the top of this page, or on this link

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Aston Villa and Manchester City.

Here are some of your comments:

Aston Villa fans

Graham: Great whole team performance. You can see things starting to click. Periods of sustained dominance alongside defensive grit when required. Villa Park did its bit in getting under City's skin too. A good day all round.

Harjinder: Watching the game at Villa Park, I have seen the team growing in confidence. Emery has us organised and finally playing the type and style of football we all want to see. If teams come at us we will counter attack and if teams sit back we will break them down eventually.

Paul: Another well planned and well executed mugging of a very good Man City side. The covering and work rate was outstanding and the quality was there all over the pitch - especially when it was most needed at the front and back.

Mike: Much has been rightly said about the genius of Unai Emery but a performance as good as this doesn't happen without the talent on the field. This meticulously assembled team ran rings around the opposition and if they're still in the development phase then who knows what they can go on to achieve. Brilliant, simply brilliant.

Manchester City fans

Harry: We were the better team for 75 minutes and lost because of four people; Guehi, Donnarumma, Maresca and Zio Suzuki. Villa don't score if it wasn't for Guehi and Donnarumma's mistakes. Maresca's subs completely killed us, especially with Bouaddi not coming on and Cherki being taken off instead of Fernandez. Credit to Villa, I expected to lose but we really should have won. They barely threatened us but defended excellently.

David: Too many defensive lapses conceding goals. Despite having the greater possession then doing nothing with it - goals win matches.

David: That defeat has been on the cards for a while - we press high and play only one midfielder sitting deep so Anderson is frequently up against an overload. Our past issues with transition are made worse by the system Enzo is playing - it would have made more sense to play Bouaddi alongside Anderson and not start with Cherki, who hasn't been at his best in away games. Donnarumma should be dropped. He's had a really poor start to the season and is getting worse but no concerns about Guehi. He will sort himself out given time.

Phil: Can we give Donnarumma to another club please?

Phil Cartwright
BBC Sport journalist

England international Ollie Watkins scored 91 Premier League goals in 221 league appearances for Aston Villa before moving to Saudi Arabia club Al-Hilal in August.

He was a consistent scorer, never failing to reach double figures for Premier League goals during each of his six seasons with the club.

The respective statistics of Nicolas Jackson and Watkins from last season suggest Jackson is more involved in general play than the England forward, while also being involved in more chances.

If Jackson's current run of form continues, his fee may prove to be a bargain.

Former Villa and England defender Martin Keown told BBC Sport: "I've liked him all season. I think he's key to Villa's success.

"I think he's an upgrade on Ollie Watkins, I really do.

"Ollie was magnificent for them, but this guy is more of a predator [in and around the penalty area]. Pace will always trouble top defenders and he's got it in abundance.

"I think having worked with the manager before at Villarreal, he's sort of fast-tracking his quick development.

"He looks like a really good piece of business right now. The team suffered and you need a striker who can give you belief you can win games when suffering and this guy is a special talent.

"With a talent like that you can go a long way."

Read more here

Phil Cartwright
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Aston Villa lost their first two league games of the season but recovered well, taking 11 points from their subsequent six Premier League matches.

The turnover of players during the summer months has been well documented and, on recent evidence, their reshaped squad has the potential to continue the club's success under Emery.

Four of their summer arrivals started the win against Manchester City and all played an important role - most notably Nicolas Jackson, who has netted seven times in 11 games in league and cup for Villa.

The former Chelsea forward took his two goals extremely well. They were Villa's only two shots on target in the game but he, along with Johan Manzambi, posed a threat on the break during spells of City pressure.

One counter-attack just before half-time led to Marc Guehi pulling Jackson down on the edge of the box and receiving a yellow card.

At the other end, Joao Gomes broke up play on several occasions in tandem with fellow midfielder Boubacar Kamara.

Goalkeeper Zion Suzuki made first-half saves from Iliman Ndiaye, Rayan Cherki and Abdukodir Khusanov, plus another crucial stop from Josko Gvardiol just after Erling Haaland's equaliser, which proved pivotal.

Soon after, Ibrahim Mbaye - another of Villa's recent arrivals - made an immediate impact from the bench with the cross for Jackson to tuck home what proved to be the home side's winner.

Unai Emery spoke to BBC Match of the Day after Aston Villa's victory against Manchester City: "What a match. This is the highest level in football. Today was a good test for us. We needed the defence, keeper, sacrificing defensively a lot of the time. We are getting better. Fantastic game today and this is the level we want to achieve and keep. Very happy but still work to do. We want to use days like today as an example of how we want to be."

On Man City: "They are performing fantastic. Top of the league and I can speak about five teams who are the best in the world and City are one of them clearly. How we faced them is fantastic and a good test. Players are improving, structuring fantastic. Now rest because we lost some energy today - myself as well - but we keep going in this way.

"We feel strong with individual strengths but mostly within our structure."

On Nicolas Jackson: "I knew him at Villarreal and he started playing the level he is now. When he came here to England he had experience so I know his capacity to exploit his quality and I know his humility. The mentality is coming through - how focussed he is in life and professional career."

Nicolas Jackson, speaking to TNT Sports: "It was incredible, we got the win which is the most important thing. Man City are a strong team, the league leaders. Hopefully now we forget about this one and focus on the next one."

On causing havoc for the Man City defenders: "I'm happy to do it every time, I will continue working for the team and the coach and that's most important for me."

On settling quickly at Aston Villa having worked with Unai Emery before: "It's not easy but easier because of the coach. We have an incredible dressing room with the players and the coach."

Did you know?

• Aston Villa are the first side win three successive Premier League games against Manchester City since Liverpool in December 2016 (run of four).

• Ibrahim Mbaye (18y 273d) is the third-youngest Aston Villa player to either score or assist in a Premier League game after Gareth Barry v Derby County in March 1999 (18y 15d) and Carney Chukwuemeka v Norwich City in December 2021 (18y 55d).

Listen to more from Emery on BBC Sounds

Starting XI

Zion Suzuki: Good in the air, decent distribution and made three important stops to deny Iliman Ndiaye, Rayan Cherki and Josko Gvardiol with a brilliant, fingertip save. 7

Matty Cash: Battled all game with Jeremy Doku and though he was booked for a push on the Belgian, he managed more tackles than any other player. 7

Victor Lindelof: Threw his body at everything that came his way but outmuscled for Haaland's goal. 6

Pau Torres: Calming presence at the back without being too ruffled. 6

Ian Maatsen: Could have scored early on but blazed a volley over. Vital header away to deny Erling Haaland's goalbound header late on. 6

John McGinn: Picked off Marc Guehi to lay on the opening goal and created more chances than anyone else on the pitch. 7

Boubacar Kamara: At the heart of everything good from the home side, sniffing out the danger. 7

Joao Gomes: Mucked in alongside Kamara by keeping the ball ticking and contributing three interceptions. 6

Alysson: The 20-year-old Brazilian impressed against Viking in the Champions League and showed why he was given a start again with another eye-catching performance. 7

Johan Manzambi: Switzerland international displayed sparks of his undoubted talent and could have had a penalty in the first half. 6

Nicolas Jackson: Brimming with confidence. Took the opening goal brilliantly, firing high into the roof of the net, before stroking in a second. 9

Substitutes

Ibrahim Mbaye (on 58, Alysson) Instant impact after coming on, providing a low cross for Jackson to finish. 7

Emiliano Buendia (on 66, Manzambi) 6

Ross Barkley (on 66, McGinn) 6

Brian Madjo (on 82, Jackson) 6

Leon Goretzka (on 82, Gomes) 6

Read the full article and see how you rated the players

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Aston Villa's performance

What did you make of Manchester City's display?

Reaction and analysis to follow - and come back on Monday for a selection of your replies.

There are four games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Aston Villa v Manchester City (12:30)

• Arsenal v Everton - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Coventry City v Fulham - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Chelsea v Tottenham (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 15:00 BST unless stated.

Follow all of the action and reaction here

How to follow the Premier League weekend across the BBC

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on your smart speaker. Just say "Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to play Chelsea v Tottenham" or "Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to play the Fulham match", for example.

New this season: Live match updates

Fans of Premier League clubs can now get real-time scores live on their phone lock screen for every game.

Simply follow your favourite football teams on the BBC Sport app for updates throughout the 2026-27 season.

Find out more here

Image source, BBC Sport

New this season: Match of the Day Predictor

Simply predict the outcome of the six fixtures we've selected from across domestic and European competitions every week.

Players can join at any time, get involved with the latest round and start building a streak.

Read more about it here

You can find the predictor in the navigation bar at the top of this page, or on this link