Aston Villa ease to 3-1 home win over Fulham

:An own goal by Antonee Robinson and strikes from John McGinn and Ollie Watkins helped Aston Villa to cruise to a 3-1 Premier League win over Fulham on Sunday, matching the club's 40-year-old record of 13 home league wins in a row.

Villa Park has become a fortress under Unai Emery as his side, along with Liverpool and Manchester City, are the only teams to have won all their home matches so far this Premier League season, with Villa netting at least three goals in every home game.

Emery's side took the lead in the 27th minute when Youri Tielemans snapped up a ball down the left wing and fired it across the goal, where Fulham defender Robinson turned it into his own net.

Villa captain McGinn netted the second goal three minutes before the break, picking up the ball outside the box and advancing before banging a low drive into the bottom corner.

Fulham were strong after the break and Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez got a fingertip to the ball to steer a low shot from Raul Jimenez onto the far post, and Willian almost pulled a goal back with a low drive that flew just wide.

Instead Watkins added the third with a close-range finish in the 64th minute as Villa again sliced open the Fulham defence.

Fulham striker Jimenez netted his first league goal since March 2022 to reduce the deficit but they came no closer, and Watkins should have made it 4-1 but somehow steered a late close-range header wide with the goal at his mercy.

The win leaves Villa in fifth place in the table on 25 points, while the Cottagers are 16th on 12 points.