In the 24th round of the English Premier League, Aston Villa, with Argentines Emiliano Martínez and Emiliano Buendía starting, lost 1-0 to Brentford. As reported by the Argentine News Agency, the team led by Spanish manager Unai Emery arrived at this match on a three-game winning streak: two in the UEFA Europa League against Red Bull Salzburg of Austria and Fenerbahçe of Turkey, and one in the Premier League against Newcastle United. This had Aston Villa in third place with 46 points. Following Arsenal's 4-0 thrashing of Leeds United at Elland Road on Saturday, Aston Villa needed a win to stay within four points of the leader and become second alongside Manchester City. However, it was a difficult day for the Londoners at Villa Park, who counted on the presence of Argentine goalkeeper Martínez and his compatriot midfielder Buendía. After German forward Kevin Schade was sent off, leaving Brentford with 10 men on the 42nd minute of the first half, the outlook seemed favorable for the Birmingham-based team. But just three minutes later, Burkinabé striker Dango Ouattara scored the 1-0 goal for the visitors. From his own half, Dutch defender Sepp Van den Berg launched a long ball over the head of his countryman Ian Maatsen, intended for Ouattara's run. Ouattara struck the ball past the onrushing Martínez, but the attempt was intercepted by Spanish defender Pau Torres, with the fortunate bounce returning the ball to Ouattara, who finished high and across to score the game's only goal. With this result, Aston Villa remains in third place, seven points behind league leaders Arsenal, while Brentford continues to impress in the Premier League, sitting in seventh place with 36 points. Sunday's action in England kicked off at the City Ground with a 1-1 draw between Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace. For the home side, Argentine Nicolás Domínguez was a starter, while for the visitors, goalkeeper Walter Benítez was on the bench. Meanwhile, Manchester United keeps its winning streak alive, securing a third consecutive victory, this time 3-2 against Fulham at Old Trafford.
