View: Aston Villa must get their act together after sloppy defending v Bournemouth
Despite heading into the game as favourites, Aston Villa were deservedly beaten by newly-promoted Bournemouth on the opening day.
Jefferson Lerma ensured the Villans’ new campaign got off to the worst possible start, scoring after just three minutes before Kieffer Moore secured the Cherries’ 2-0 victory in the second half.
Villa created a few decent chances but could not take any of them as they were sent back to the Midlands with nothing in a worrying display for Steven Gerrard.
His new signings over the summer were supposed to have taken his Aston Villa side to another level but it looks more likely to be down rather than up after a lacklustre first game of the new Premier League season.
Lerma’s first goal was a prime example of why they suffered defeat at the Vitality Stadium and it continued to be a problem all afternoon long.
In the freeze frame above just as the ball comes to the Colombian, Villa have ten players in their own box but with nine crowded around the six-yard area, the Bournemouth midfielder has acres of space to pick his spot and fire in the first goal of the game.
Their inability to deal with any kind of cross was on show again later in the first half and they were fortunate to get away without conceding on this occasion.
A very tame ball along the floor somehow evaded every player in light blue to reach the Bournemouth attacker at the edge of the area (who isn’t even in shot here) but he couldn’t take advantage.
Moore’s goal is perhaps the most criminal of the lot though as the six-foot, five-inch striker is allowed to leap unchallenged to power a header back across Emiliano Martinez and into the corner.
No striker should get a free header that close to the goal and Gerrard will be asking his centre-halves for answers after seeing the Welshman wheel away in celebration.
In other Aston Villa news, the search for a new central midfielder is beginning to accelerate after the Villans sold a talented youngster to Chelsea.