Ouattara strikes on debut as Brentford Beat Aston Villa

Dango Ouattara announced himself in style with a debut goal to hand Brentford their first Premier League victory of the season against Aston Villa, Sport360NG reports.

The Burkina Faso forward, signed from Bournemouth last week for a club-record £42.5m, struck in the 12th minute to settle a fiercely contested match at the Gtech Community Stadium.

It was also a winning home league debut for new Bees boss Keith Andrews, who replaced Thomas Frank over the summer.

Brentford’s goal came via the direct approach: goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher launched the ball forward, Igor Thiago flicked it on, and Ouattara raced clear. Though Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez saved his initial attempt, the 22-year-old reacted quickest to tuck away the rebound with composure.

The hosts thought they had doubled their advantage just before half-time when Mikkel Damsgaard volleyed home after a long throw, only for VAR to disallow the strike after Nathan Collins was adjudged to have impeded Martinez.

Villa improved after the break but struggled to create clear openings, with Kelleher denying John McGinn and Morgan Rogers going close. Unai Emery’s side ended with just two shots on target and have now gone three league games without scoring, stretching back to last season.

While Villa looked short of ideas, Brentford displayed the grit and aggression that were hallmarks of the Frank era, pressing relentlessly and contesting every challenge. It suggested Andrews intends to build on that template while tightening up defensively, an area where the Bees were vulnerable last term.

The result offers Brentford optimism after their opening-day defeat at Nottingham Forest. Villa, meanwhile, will look to integrate new signing Evann Guessand quickly and could yet dip back into the market before the 1 September deadline in search of extra attacking spark.