Aston Villa fell to a 1-0 defeat against 10-man Brentford

New signing Tammy Abraham had a goal disallowed as Aston Villa’s title challenge faltered again on Sunday with a shock 1-0 defeat at home to Brentford, who were forced to play more than half the match with 10 men after Kevin Schade was shown a straight red card.

Abraham, who spent a spell on loan at Villa during the 2018/19 season and returned from Turkish club Besiktas on January 26, had a great chance to score in the 15th minute of his return but Brentford keeper Caoimhin Kelleher remained calm and averted the danger.

VIL versus BRE – As it happened

Schade was sent off in the 42nd minute after getting into a fight with Matty Cash and digging his studs into the Villa defender, but Dango Outtara gave the visitor the lead in stoppage time, collecting the rebound from his first attempt to put the ball across the box and fire into the top corner.

Abraham thought he had leveled early in the second half but a VAR review revealed the ball had gone out for a throw-in in the build-up and the goal was disallowed, condemning Villa to defeat and leaving them third on 46 points, seven behind leaders Arsenal.

Brentford’s excellent defensive effort takes them to seventh place with 36 points and although he made a major contribution himself, shot-stopper Kelleher paid tribute to the players before him after the final whistle.

«It was great from the boys, especially in the second half. We dug in and earned the three points… some of the blocks and challenges were great,» he told the broadcaster. Air sports.

Brentford boss Keith ⁠Andrews was delighted with his side’s performance.

“This is exactly what we achieved (with our best wins), given the circumstances, going down to 10 men,” he said. «The pride, level of performance and spirit of the group doesn’t surprise me. The boys were great.»

Published on February 1, 2026