Bolton Wanderers fell to a 2-0 defeat against Aston Villa in the Sky Bet Championship on Friday evening, with Jack Grealish and James Chester scoring the goals for the Villans.
Team News
Phil Parkinson made five changes from the starting eleven that lined up against Hull City.
David Wheater and Jason Lowe came in for Mark Beevers and Josh Vela, with Andrew Taylor, Will Buckley and Craig Noone replacing Marc Wilson, Lloyd Dyer and Christian Doidge.
First Half
Villa went a goal to the good four minutes in, as Jack Grealish rounded Ben Alnwick to calmly finish into an open net.
With 14 minutes gone, Villans wide man Albert Adomah had his effort from distance whistle just wide of the far post.
Wanderers had their first chance of the game with 20 minutes gone in the first half, as a Will Buckley cross into the area found Clayton Donaldson.
The forward brought it down and played in Erhun Oztumer, but the playmaker’s effort couldn’t beat Orjan Nyland at the far post.
Oztumer turned provider minutes later, as his delivery into a packed Villa penalty area found Jack Hobbs’ head, but the defender’s effort was cleared off the line by Villans skipper James Chester.
Jack Grealish nearly had his second of the game, as space opened up on the edge of the Wanderers’ penalty area for him to have a strike on goal.
However, Ben Alnwick was equal to it with a routine diving save down to his left.
On the half hour mark, Jonathan Kodjia came close for Dean Smith’s men, as a cross to the far post found the Ivorian, but he skied his effort into the stand behind.
The Villans had the ball in the back of the net, as a Grealish corner found Chester’s head, who nodded the ball home but was adjudged to be in an offside position.
Another Oztumer free kick found towering centre back Jack Hobbs, but his header was deflected away from the Villa goal.
Two minutes from the break and a ball into the far post saw Alnwick deflect away the initial danger, with the follow up from John McGinn headed into the side netting.
Second Half
Immediately after the restart and Kodjia was causing the Whites’ backline problems again, running down the left before squaring to Tammy Abraham.
However, the forward couldn’t quite get the ball out of his feet before the threat was cleared.
Craig Noone responded a minute later, firing at goal from an acute angle but Nyland got down low to avert the shot away from goal.
Villa doubled their lead through James Chester, as a Grealish set-piece found the Welsh international, who promptly headed home from close distance.
With just over 20 minutes to the final whistle, Kodjia nearly extended Villa’s lead to three.
The winger broke down the left side of the pitch, cut inside but his resulting effort was never troubling the keeper.
Adomah had an acrobatic effort from close to 18 yard box minutes after, but it only found the roof of the Wanderers’ net.
Noone nearly got Wanderers back into the clash, with a right footed effort from 25 yards narrowly misses the frame of the goal.
Grealish found himself in space again on the edge of the Wanderers area, but his effort was hit with too much power as it sailed over the crossbar.
With six minutes to go and the Whites put together a lovely flowing passing move, with Williams combining with substitute Christian Doidge, but Villa got back in numbers and managed to clear the threat of conceding.
Villa's Conor Hourihane went close late on with a long ranged effort, however it wasn't close enough to test Ben Alnwick.
Both Lloyd Dyer and Josh Magennis went close for Wanderers with a minute of regular time on the clock.
Dyer had a shot from close range saved by Nyland, with the follow up header by Magennis flicked narrowly wide of the mark.
In added time, a David Wheater knockdown in the area found substitute Josh Magennis, but the Northern Irishman's effort was inches from finding the back of Nyland's goal.
Full Time
Wanderers XI: Alnwick, Taylor, Lowe, Oztumer (Doidge 78), Donaldson (Magennis 70), Buckley (Dyer 68), Noone, Hobbs, Olkowski, Williams, Wheater (C).
Unused substitutes: Matthews, Beevers, Vela, Grounds