Aston Villa 1-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers: Highlights, man of the match, stats as Boubacar Kamara stunner seals hard-fought win

Aston Villa claimed Black Country bragging rights with a 1-0 win in the Premier League on Sunday, as Wolverhampton Wanderers whimpered to yet another defeat.

Aston Villa started stronger and almost took the lead inside the opening minutes as they struck the crossbar, but Wolves weathered the early storm and grew into the game, going on to have the better chances as Jorgen Strand Larsen's goal was ruled out for offside and Yerson Mosquera headed off the crossbar, but the game ultimately remained level at the break.

Despite a fast start to the second half from Wolves, the Old Gold failed to convert their chances, and the Villans eventually grew into control and took the lead thanks to Boubacar Kamara's superb long-ranged strike, with that goal proving to be decisive as Aston Villa secured the 1-0 triumph.

SPORTS MOLE'S VERDICT

Wolves were clearly up for the fight against their Black Country rivals, with an intensity and desire to win the ball back that has often been lacking during their dismal opening to the campaign, while they looked more threatening going forward as the first half progressed.

The Old Gold were unfortunate to not be ahead at the break after Larsen had a goal ruled out and Mosquera's header was diverted onto the crossbar by a brilliant Emiliano Martinez save on the brink of half-time, but they were clearly not disheartened as they maintained their attacking threat in the second 45 minutes.

Wolves continuously looked to stretch the Aston Villa defence, and the Villans struggled to deal with the pace and direct nature of the Old Gold's play, especially in the opening period of the second half as the visitors had plenty of significant goalscoring opportunities - only denied by superb Martinez saves or brilliant last-ditch defending.

However, Wolves started to drop deeper as Aston Villa began to take control of possession later in the half, and the Old Gold eventually succumbed to the pressure as Kamara fantastically fired into the top corner - a goal that knocked the wind out of Wolves' sails as they failed to truly threaten the Villa defence in the minutes following the strike.

Now faced with yet another defeat, even at this early stage of the campaign, relegation looks increasingly likely for Rob Edwards' side, who are now faced with a situation in which no other Premier League team have ever survived from.

As for Unai Emery, the Spaniard is unlikely to be pleased with the performance - particularly in the first half - but he will certainly be delighted that his side have made it five straight wins across all competitions, and they are now up to third in the Premier League standings following today's victory.

ASTON VILLA VS. WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS HIGHLIGHTS

Boubacar Kamara goal vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers (67th min, Aston Villa 1-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers)

What an absolutely stunning strike by Boubacar Kamara to open the scoring at Villa Park ? pic.twitter.com/nrtcnRHBLO
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) November 30, 2025

Kamara breaks the deadlock with a stunning strike!

Aston Villa work the ball out wide to John McGinn on the right wing, and the midfielder cuts back onto his left and feeds the ball back to Kamara on the edge of the area.

Kamara's first touch pops the ball up, and his second sends the ball flying into the top right corner - a fantastic way to open the scoring!

MAN OF THE MATCH - JOHN MCGINN

McGinn proved to be a pivotal piece in Aston Villa's hard-fought victory today, including registering the assist for Kamara's winning goal.

The Scotland international was fully deserving of that assist, with McGinn the most creative player on the pitch today, making the most chances of anyone throughout the 90 minutes with four.

At the other end of the pitch, Martinez also deserves credit for producing a number of super stops to keep Aston Villa in the game at 0-0, as well as a crucial save in the final minutes of stoppage time to retain their lead.

ASTON VILLA VS. WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS MATCH STATS

Possession: Aston Villa 53%-47% Wolverhampton Wanderers

Shots: Aston Villa 16-9 Wolverhampton Wanderers

Shots on target: Aston Villa 6-4 Wolverhampton Wanderers

Corners: Aston Villa 7-3 Wolverhampton Wanderers

Fouls: Aston Villa 13-21 Wolverhampton Wanderers

BEST STATS

Nine of Aston Villa's 16 Premier League goals this season have been scored from outside the box

The most of any side in 2025/26. ? https://t.co/06dxyEUiYW pic.twitter.com/3AlgWYABxB
— Squawka Live (@Squawka_Live) November 30, 2025

WHAT NEXT?

Aston Villa are back on the road midweek as they travel to face Brighton & Hove Albion, followed by a return home to welcome Arsenal next Saturday.

Meanwhile, Wolves will continue the search for their first Premier League win of the season when they host Nottingham Forest on Wednesday, followed by another home fixture when they take on Manchester United the following Monday.