SUNDERLAND, England (BN24) — Aston Villa’s winless start to the Premier League season continued Sunday after they failed to hold on to both a one-goal and one-man advantage in a 1-1 draw against Sunderland. Meanwhile, Newcastle were left frustrated once again in front of goal as they played out a goalless draw at Bournemouth.
Unai Emery’s side, who have enjoyed a steady rise in recent seasons, remain in the bottom three with just three points from their opening five matches. Villa were given a major opportunity to break their poor run when Sunderland’s Reinildo Mandava was shown a red card in the 33rd minute for violent conduct, kicking out at Matty Cash.
Having failed to score in their previous four league games, Villa finally ended their goal drought when Cash’s powerful long-range strike deceived Sunderland goalkeeper Robin Roefs in the first half. But the lead lasted only eight minutes as Wilson Isidor capitalized on Granit Xhaka’s header forward to score his third goal in as many matches at the Stadium of Light.
Ollie Watkins, still searching for his first goal of the campaign, missed two late chances to seal all three points for Villa. Sunderland, in contrast, continued their strong start to life back in the Premier League. The Black Cats now sit seventh in the table and have lost just once in five outings, bucking the recent trend of promoted teams suffering immediate relegation.
In Bournemouth, Newcastle were once again left without a goal on the road. Eddie Howe’s side, still adjusting to the departure of striker Alexander Isak, have now drawn all three of their away fixtures this season 0-0. The Magpies appeared content with a point at the Vitality Stadium after a tight turnaround from Thursday’s 2-1 Champions League defeat to Barcelona.
Howe rotated heavily, making seven changes to the starting lineup, including a recall for club-record signing Nick Woltemade. But the match offered little in the way of clear chances, with Bournemouth coming closest in stoppage time through a Justin Kluivert free kick that Nick Pope well saved.
The point moved Bournemouth briefly into third place on the table, though their position was set to change depending on results later in the day. Arsenal had a chance to leapfrog them and move second if they could defeat defending champions Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium.
Liverpool entered Sunday six points clear of Arsenal and nine ahead of City, maintaining a perfect record through five matches.
