Donyell Malen made the most of a rare Premier League start by firing Aston Villa to a 2-1 victory over Burnley on Sunday, with the Dutch forward’s first goals of the season lifting Unai Emery’s side up to 13th in the standings.
Malen has had to bide his time for opportunities in the Premier League early in the campaign, but he showed razor-sharp finishing at Villa Park to open his account for the season in spectacular fashion.
He timed his run to perfection to get on the end of Boubacar Kamara’s pass for the opener before the 26-year-old scored another goal from a similarly tight angle in the second half to complete his brace.
“It has been a tough start but we stay positive and we have worked really hard to turn things around and today was a good example,” Malen told Sky Sports.
“It’s important to keep working, whenever you have a chance to be there. We have to go game by game. “We have a good team, a good squad. Last season we were nearly in the Champions League so we have to push for that.”
Villa dominated proceedings but were guilty of spurning several chances before Malen’s clinical touch made the difference. The Dutchman nearly capped his afternoon with a hat-trick, only to see his strike after a neat one-two move with Ollie Watkins blocked on the line.
“I think Donyell has been amazing, he’s been waiting for his chance and whenever he plays he adds something to the game. Today he starts and scores two, so really happy,” Villa midfielder Lamare Bogarde said. The victory extended Villa’s winning run in all competitions to four matches after they went winless in the first six games of the season. “We settled him (Malen) a little bit with some technical balance. He was close to score and he scored, fantastic,” Emery said.
“Here in Villa Park we have to make it a fortress, we have to compete and we are finishing before the international break in good balance. “We are feeling more comfortable than we were. I am really happy how the players have responded with our demands.”