- Albert Adomah scored twice as Aston Villa defeated Barnsley 3-0 at Oakwell
- Keinan Davies completed the scoring on 55 minutes as Villa move to 15th
- The defeat sees Barnsley slip to their fifth of the season in eight matches
Albert Adomah’s double and a first Aston Villa goal for teenager Keinan Davis secured a much-needed victory for Aston Villa at Barnsley.
Having picked up just one win from their opening seven league matches of the season and with manager Steve Bruce’s future coming under increasing scrutiny, Villa could not afford any further slip-ups as they look to ignite hopes of a return to the Premier League.
And they never looked in danger of picking up anything other than three points after Adomah had latched on an error from Barnsley’s Adam Davies to open the scoring.
Albert Adomah netted twice for Aston Villa as they eased their way to a second win this season
Adomah – making his first league start of the season – doubled the lead a minute before half-time from the penalty spot before Davis made the points safe 10 minutes into the second-half as Villa scored three goals away from home for the first time since March 2015.
Having survived some early pressure from the hosts, Villa began to click through the gears, with Robert Snodgrass forcing Davies into a low save with 20-yard effort.
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But Davies was soon cursing his luck as a long ball from James Chester was flicked on by Davis, and with Adomah bearing down on goal the Barnsley captain could only let the ball slip through his hands, allowing the winger to tap home the opener.
That marked Villa’s first goal for 225 minutes, and they did not have to wait nearly as long to find the net again as nineteen-year-old Davis continued to cause havoc.
It was he who won a penalty shortly before the break as he looked to latch onto Ahmed Elmohamady’s ball over the top, only for Adam Jackson to bring him down inside the box.
Adomah made no mistake from the spot, meaning he now scored five goals in six visits to Oakwell as an opposition player.
Villa refused to rest on their laurels after the break, and as news filtered through that Harry Redknapp had been relieved of his duties at local rivals Birmingham City, academy graduate Davis capped a fine performance with a headed finish from Elmohamady’s right-wing cross.
Adomah missed the chance to secure a hat-trick as a poor first touch from Davis’s pass ran through to Davies while substitute Ike Ugbo wasted Barnsley’s best chance at the death as he dragged an effort wide in the closing stages.