U21s: Aston Villa 0-3 West Bromwich Albion

Aston Villa suffered defeat against West Bromwich Albion in their first Premier League 2 game of the season at Bodymoor Heath on Friday night.

The Young Lions had chances before and after Rayhan Tulloch’s 24^th minute opener but were unable to make them count.

And when substitute Kadan Young was shown a second yellow card after 66 minutes, the Baggies took control.

Jamie Andrews lashed home a free-kick to double the lead before he rounded off the scoring after 81 minutes.

In Iñigo Idiakez’s first game in charge, the Young Lions showcased their work on the training ground when they crafted an opening with a set piece routine after eight minutes.

Finley Munroe took a short free-kick into Lamare Bogarde, who split the defence with a through ball to Tommi O’Reilly who fired straight at Ted Cann.

The influential Irishman and Munroe tested Cann with long-range efforts, but it was the Baggies who found the net after 23 minutes.

Former Villan Ruben Shakpoke sprayed a crossfield pass to the right wing, where Tulloch jinked into the box and curled a shot inside the far post.

The home side responded strongly and were inches away from levelling when Josh Feeney crashed a header against the crossbar from five yards out.

Villa finished the first half strongly and called Cann into action once again when O’Reilly lashed a loose ball goalwards.

A superb spin on the halfway line saw O’Reilly drive forward 20 yards before playing the ball out to a marauding Triston Rowe, who took a touch before firing at Cann.

Villa’s best chance of the game came just after the hour mark when Teddy Rowe blazed Chisom Afoka’s driven cross over the bar from inside the six-yard box.

Hopes of a comeback were dented minutes later when substitute Young, who’d earlier been booked for kicking the ball away, mistimed a slide tackle and was shown a second yellow card.

West Brom capitalised on the momentum swing and netted their second on 69 minutes when Andrews sent a free-kick flying past Oliwier Zych at his near post.

With a numerical advantage, the Baggies enjoyed their best spell of the game and bagged third goal when Andrews was afforded too much time and space before lashing a shot past Zych.