Aston Villa impressed under Unai Emery yet again, as they took their chances and defended just as the Spaniard drew it up en route to a 2-0 victory over Fulham in Premier League Summer Series action on Wednesday.
[ WATCH LIVE: Premier League Summer Series on Peacock ]
21-year-old winger Jaden Philogene opened the scoring late in the first half, with a perfectly time run across the six-yard box. The Aston Villa academy graduate got on the end of Lucas Digne’s cross with a full stretch past two defenders.
Moussa Diaby cost Aston Villa $61 million this summer, so it’s fair to say expectations will be rather high, rather quickly, for the 24-year-old French winger. He made it 2-0 with an emphatic finish in the 73rd minute after coming on as a substitute at halftime.
Fulham vs Aston Villa, final score: 0-2
Goalscorers: Jaden Philogene (40'), Moussa Diaby (73')
How to watch Fulham vs Aston Villa in the Summer Series live, stream link
Kickoff: 8:25pm ET Wednesday (start delayed 75 minutes)
Where: Exploria Stadium in Orlando, Florida
TV Channel/Stream: Premier League Summer Series on Peacock
Jaden Philogene smashes it into the net to open the scoring for Aston Villa in Orlando!
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) July 27, 2023
📺: @peacock | #PLSummerSeries pic.twitter.com/3rqoLfL1sy
It is a typical summer night in central Florida, with thunderstorms and lightning moving through the Orlando area just before scheduled kickoff.
UPDATE: Kickoff has been further delayed, now no earlier than 8:15pm ET.
More #PLSummerSeries action on the way! 💥#Fulhamerica pic.twitter.com/q7Bka0hanv
— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) July 26, 2023
This is your Aston Villa team to face Fulham in Orlando tonight. 👊 #PLSummerSeries pic.twitter.com/kk9Q2EkpHZ
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) July 26, 2023
Fulham is expected to add Raul Jimenez while star striker Aleksandar Mitrovic looks more and more likely to make a big-money move to Saudi Arabia. Palhinha’s shoulder injury may put an end to the idea of his moving this summer.
Gone are Shane Duffy, Neeskens Kebano, Joe Bryan, and Paulo Gazzaniga.
Marco Silva was linked with a huge raise in Saudi Arabia, but has opted to stay in London and keep the Cottagers project firing forward.
There’s a familiar face gone with Ashley Young off to Everton but Unai Emery’s got two big-time additions.
The Villans purchased Pau Torres from Emery’s former club, Villarreal, and also added Leicester City midfield star Youri Tielemans.
Throw-in a healthy Diego Carlos and goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and Villa’s got the defense to make Ollie Watkins and the attack feel quite good about their freedom to go forward.
