Villa’s goal struggles continue as Wolves lead at Molineux

Aston Villa’s worrying slide in front of goal carried straight into the West Midlands derby, leaving Unai Emery’s side behind to Wolves at Molineux and intensifying their battle for a top-four place. João Gomes crashed a superb strike past the hour mark to put the hosts ahead, extending Villa’s barren run that has delivered only five goals in the previous seven Premier League outings and a meagre nine points from that sequence.

With both Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers misfiring, the visitors offered little sign of a breakthrough against the division’s bottom club. The lack of cutting edge has turned a side that briefly eyed title contention into one glancing anxiously over its shoulder at the chasing pack.

Emery may soon be tempted to turn to Tammy Abraham, who has found the net in his last two appearances and boasts six career goals against Wolves—more than he has managed versus any other opponent. Time is short: after tonight Villa face Chelsea and Manchester United in their next two league fixtures, fixtures that could decide whether Champions League football remains a realistic target.

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