Just seven days after signing for the club, Dango Ouattara struck a goal on debut to earn Brentford a deserved 1-0 win against Aston Villa in the West London club’s first home game of the 2025/26 Premier League season.
The 23-year-old forward’s 12th-minute finish was the difference as Keith Andrews’ side secured its first victory of the campaign at the Brentford Community Stadium on Saturday.
Along with Ouattara, Jordan Henderson was also making his full debut after both were named in the starting XI for the first time. Kevin Schade, who also featured from the bench in the opening-day defeat at Nottingham Forest, was included in the side alongside Mikkel Damsgaard.
Damsgaard, one of the four changes for this match, had the first chance of the match in the opening three minutes. Michael Kayode intercepted a pass midway inside Brentford’s half, and the ball was eventually worked to the Dane on the edge of the box. He jinked his way past Boubacar Kamara and Matty Cash before curling just wide of the far corner.
The side took the lead 10 minutes later through Ouattara. Caoimhím Kelleher found Igor Thiago on halfway with a lofted pass, and the Brazilian flicked the ball to put Ouattara through on goal. The former Bournemouth man raced into the box and saw his stabbed effort saved by Emiliano Martínez, but the ball ricocheted back into his path and he held his nerve to pass into an empty net.
Kayode’s long throws were causing chaos in the Villa penalty area, and midway through the half, he created the next chance, but Henderson’s half-volley off a loose ball that had dropped nicely for him was blocked behind.
Aston Villa had two chances from two set-pieces, ending with just over half an hour played. From successive corners, Schade turned away Youri Tielemans’ well-struck effort before Kelleher did well to adjust his feet and parry a low effort from John McGinn that had found its way through a busy box.
Brentford thought they had doubled their lead when Damsgaard rifled a volley into the back of the net off a Kayode throw-in that had fallen favourably to him. The goal was ruled out by VAR, however, due to an alleged Nathan Collins foul on Martínez.
Former Brentford star, Ollie Watkins, had a chance to level proceedings late in the first half but, after being found by Tielemans, his left-footed strike was blocked by Sepp van den Berg.
A superb Kayode challenge prevented Villa from equalising early in the second half, but the England star’s international goal-bound effort was turned behind by the Brentford right-back’s last-ditch sliding block.
Unai Emery’s side was enjoying its best period of the game as Buendia dragged another warning shot wide of Kelleher’s right post shortly afterwards.
The west Londoners had Kayode to thank again just over 10 minutes after the restart. Buendia released Watkins on the left wing, with the striker then pulling back from the corner of the box for Amadou Onana, who saw his first-time effort blocked by the Italy Under-21 international.
Thiago could have doubled the advantage going into the final 15 minutes; however, his left-footed drive, following good work from Ouattara and Damsgaard, fell wide. Brentford saw out five minutes of stoppage time to claim a hard-earned three points.
