Brentford’s Ten-Man Spirit Stuns Villa in a Premier League Thriller
1 February 2026
Premier League clash: Villa defeated as Brentford go 10-men to victory
Brentford completed a 1-0 win over Aston Villa at Villa Park after Villa spent most of the match with ten men, and Tammy Abraham’s early goal was ruled out by VAR. In the 41st minute, Kevin Schade was sent off for a dangerous challenge on Matty Cash, forcing Brentford to play with ten men for the rest of the contest. Despite the numerical disadvantage, Brentford struck just before the break as Dango Ouattara found the top corner from a rebound in the box.
Early in the second half, Villa thought they had equalised through Abraham, but VAR intervened to rule out the goal because the ball had gone out before the move began, keeping the scoreline at 1-0.
Villa drop to 46 points in third, seven behind leaders Arsenal, while Brentford move to 36 points and sit seventh in the standings.
Other match round-up: Nottingham Forest 1-1 Crystal Palace
Morgan Gibbs-White put Forest ahead in the fifth minute, but Ismaila Sarr converted a stoppage-time penalty to earn Crystal Palace a 1-1 draw. Palace rise to 29 points in 14th, Forest to 26 points in 17th, as both sides press on in their relegation battle.
That’s all for today’s action, a reminder that football loves its plot twists—and VAR loves to voice its opinion with a whistle and a glow.
Punchline time: if Villa’s plan was to confuse the referee, bravo—only they forgot to bring the goals. And as for Brentford, they treated the red card as a starter pistol: start the chaos, finish with the points. If football were a comedy, this one would be a stand-up routine with VAR as the heckler.
