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One down, three to go. Aston Villa ticked off the first of the four wins they may need to return to the Champions League next season but they will have to play better than this to achieve them.
Youri Tielemans’ header in the first half was enough to sink Fulham keep Unai Emery’s men in the hunt for a top six finish and the result will put pressure on their rivals for a top-five finish, who have still to play this weekend.
Yet it was some way from a return to top form and it seemed Villa had not completely shaken off their humbling by Crystal Palace in the FA Cup semi-final.
The home side seemed edgy throughout and Ollie Watkins and Pau Torres missed opportunities to double the lead.
Even so, Villa had the goal that should have settled them in the 12th minute. Morgan Rogers produced a fine piece of skill to glide in from the left and find Marco Asensio, whose shot was diverted behind.
From John McGinn’s corner, Tielemans exploited a gap in Fulham’s zonal marking system to drift between Harry Wilson and Kenny Tete and head goalwards. Though Bernd Leno got a hand to the ball, he could not keep it out.
Youri Tielemans scored the only goal for Aston Villa as they secured a crucial win over Fulham
The Belgian fired a powerful header past Bernd Leno in the 12th minute of the clash at Villa Park
Fulham thought they had equalised through Ryan Sessegnon after the interval but the effort was chalked off for handball
Perhaps chastened by their FA Cup semi-final thrashing by Crystal Palace, Villa were cautious without the ball but still Fulham struggled to carve them open.
Just before half-time, Raul Jimenez’s wayward effort was greeted with chants off ‘We’ve had a shot’ from the away fans.
Villa might have played a little more quickly though. At one point, even substitute Ross Barkley was urging his team-mates to step on the gas a little. That is not Unai Emery’s way, though.
Only a superb save from Leno stopped Tielemans’ doubling the lead from 25 yards and when a goal-kick was wrongly awarded, the Fulham man gave a rueful smile. Any goalkeeper would have wanted such an impressive stop to have been spotted.
Like Tielemans, John McGinn had a fine first half and should have had an assist to his name in the first minute after the restart.
The Scot put it on a plate for Ollie Watkins but Villa’s top scorer got himself in a tangle and the chance was lost. At the other end, Ezri Konsa’s vital block denied Sasa Lukic after Villa had dawdled at the back.
Moments later, Ryan Sessegnon’s effort clipped Konsa and went in off Emiliano Martinez’s left post but the goal was rightly ruled out for handball. Then Wilson attempted an ambitious first-time lob over Martinez when he had the time and space to take a touch.
Needing only one goal to overtake Gabby Agbonlahor as Villa’s leading Premier League scorer, Ollie Watkins was sent clear by Rogers but put his shot too close to Leno. By now Jacob Ramsey had replaced the ineffective Asensio while McGinn – surprisingly – had also been taken off.
Villa’s first clean sheet in five matches helped move them level on points with Nottingham Forest and Chelsea
Collecting the ball from Watkins, Ramsey drove the far post where somehow Pau Torres failed to tap into an unguarded goal. Fulham’s belief grew and when substitute Adama Traore crossed, Matty Cash initially missed his clearance before making up for it with a terrific block to stop Joachim Andersen.
The agony continued for the home side in stoppage time when substitute Donyell Malen hit the underside of the bar but Villa held on.
