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Aston Villa delivered an impressive performance in their pre-season match on Wednesday, overwhelming Italian club AS Roma with a 4–0 victory at the Pallet-Track Bescot Stadium in Walsall.
Unai Emery's squad took control early, dominating the first half and securing a three-goal lead before the break. Emiliano Buendía began the scoring in the 15th minute with a brilliantly executed free-kick, curling the ball past a stationary Mile Svilar in the Roma goal.
Just two minutes later, Jacob Ramsey extended Villa’s lead, finishing off a clever through ball from Youri Tielemans to exploit a slow Roma defense.
The hosts maintained their pressure, and five minutes before halftime, Ollie Watkins connected with Buendía’s cross to head in the third goal for Villa.
Roma, under new manager Gian Piero Gasperini, struggled to establish themselves in the match. Even though they had more possession—ending up with over 56 percent—they could only muster one shot on target.
Villa's defense, led by World Cup champion Emiliano Martínez, was rarely challenged.
The second half featured numerous substitutions from both teams, but Villa continued to dominate, with Malen, McGinn, and Bailey energizing the attack.
In the 85th minute, the final goal was added by Dutch forward Donyell Malen, a recent addition to Emery’s team, who scored after being set up by John McGinn.
Malen coolly finished into the bottom corner to finalize the victory and highlight his standout performance. This result marks a strong comeback for Aston Villa following mixed outcomes during their U.S. tour and home games.
With goals coming from various players and the team displaying tactical adaptability and energy, Emery will be encouraged by this showing ahead of their Premier League opener against Newcastle United next week.
For Roma, this loss is a stark reminder of the challenges that remain. The Giallorossi entered England with an unbeaten pre-season record, including a 9–0 triumph over UniPomezia, but were outperformed in all areas by a well-organized Villa team.
Aston Villa will conclude their pre-season schedule with games against Marseille and Villarreal, while Roma will head back to Italy to face Everton before starting their Serie A season against Bologna on August 23.
The match, Villa’s first-ever encounter with Roma, took place at Walsall’s Bescot Stadium due to ongoing renovations and pitch work at Villa Park, which recently hosted a significant summer concert.
Despite the unusual venue, the hosts provided a memorable display for their supporters.
