Aston Villa delivered a dominant performance in their pre-season clash on Wednesday, thrashing AS Roma 4–0 at the Pallet-Track Bescot Stadium in Walsall.
Unai Emery’s side started strong, scoring three goals in the first half. Emiliano Buendía opened the scoring with a well-placed free-kick in the 15th minute, followed quickly by Jacob Ramsey, who finished a clever pass from Youri Tielemans just two minutes later. Ollie Watkins added a third before halftime with a header from Buendía’s cross.
Roma, under new manager Gian Piero Gasperini, struggled despite having over 56% possession, managing only one shot on target. Villa’s defence, led by Emiliano Martínez, held firm throughout.
The second half brought more substitutions, but Villa remained in control. New signing Donyell Malen sealed the win in the 85th minute with a calm finish from a John McGinn assist.
The result boosts Villa’s confidence ahead of their Premier League opener against Newcastle, while Roma—who had been unbeaten in pre-season—were clearly second-best.
The friendly was played at Walsall’s stadium due to ongoing work at Villa Park. Despite the change in venue, Villa put on a show that delighted their fans.
