"Aston Villa finally scored their first Premier League goal of the season but, on this quietly concerning evidence, the quest for last season's mislaid form is far from over. In marked contrast Sunderland were a study in resilience and belief after not merely the 33rd minute dismissal of their left-back Reinildo Mandava for violent conduct but the rare second half mistake from Robin Roefs that allowed Matty Cash to shoot Unai Emery's side ahead from 25 yards. Arsenal v Manchester City: Premier League live Undeterred, Regis Le Bris's 10 men simply regrouped before Wilson Isidor's third goal in three Premier League home games stripped the shine from Emery's weekend."
"An injury to Habib Diarra opened the door for Chris Rigg to make his Premier League debut and the 18-year-old, later sacrificed as Sunderland switched to a back five in the wake of Reinildo's dismissal, did not disappoint during his brief cameo in Le Bris's midfield. Indeed it was Rigg's clever approach play that enabled Chemsdine Talbi to swing in a cross, headed over by Isidor. The same striker had earlier missed in similar fashion after meeting Granit Xhaka's deep cross and would subsequently be denied by Ezri Konsa's smart positioning as the impressive England defender blocked his shot."
"With Morgan Rogers worryingly isolated and seemingly unable to link Villa's attacking moves, Roefs was left untested until well into the first half. When he was finally called to arms, Evan Guessand shot straight at Sunderland's goalkeeper after collecting the fall out from a free-kick. It was a poor effort from Guessand who was not alone in struggling to build on-field bonds with certain Villa teammates, their right back Cash especially, Cash's relationship with Sunderland's left-back Reinildo took a turn for the worse in the 34th minute when he hauled the former Atletico Madrid defender down and then, inadvertently, fell on top of him."
Aston Villa scored their first Premier League goal but showed signs of disjointed attacking and poor on-field chemistry. Sunderland played with resilience after Reinildo Mandava was sent off for violent conduct and recovered from a defensive error that allowed Matty Cash to give Villa the lead. Regis Le Bris's side regrouped and Wilson Isidor scored his third home goal to secure the result. An injury to Habib Diarra allowed Chris Rigg to make his debut and his intelligent play helped create Isidor's goal. Villa struggled to link play, with isolated attackers and wasted chances.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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