Aston Villa fell to defeat in the final game of their Under-18 Premier League South season, losing 3-0 to a strong Arsenal side at Bodymoor Heath on Sunday afternoon.
An evenly-contested match swung in favour of the visiting side midway through the opening period when Markie Meade was dismissed for Villa, with the Gunners taking the lead soon after through Max Dowman.
The North London outfit then had too much for Jimmy Shan's Young Lions after the break, as the impressive Dowman doubled his and his side's tally, before Louis Zecevic-John made sure of the points, as Villa concluded their regular campaign having already been crowned regional champions.
With the Under-18 Premier League South title already secured, Shan took the opportunity to rotate his side, handing opportunities to a number of under-16 players and starting in a slightly different shape.
Among those brought into the starting 11 was Cole Ramsey, making his first appearance since returning from a lengthy injury lay-off, as older brother Jacob watched on from the stands.
It was the Gunners who started the brighter in the Bodymoor sun, and immediately had appeals for a penalty turned down when Andre Harriman-Annous hit the deck inside the area.
Dowman, the visitors’ danger man throughout, was causing Shan’s side problems, as Arsenal controlled the majority of the ball. Eighteen minutes were on the clock when Max Jenner recovered well to regain possession inside his own penalty area, but the ball fell to Dowman who could only fire straight at goalkeeper Owen Asemota, facing his former team.
The Villans held a threat themselves when coming forward on the counter attack, with most of their danger coming from Jack McGrath. He tested Arsenal stopper Khari Ranson, but Asemota again had to be alert at the other end to deny Dan Casey.
The hosts were well in the game at this stage, though midway through the opening period, their task was to be made a lot harder as they were reduced to 10 players, Meade being shown a straight red card following a collision with captain Will Sweet.
Villa still maintained their threat in transition, with McGrath again calling Ranson into action before Ramsey’s cross was scrambled away, but the encounter had now evolved into a game of attack versus defence, in favour of the visiting side.
The Gunners profited from their extra player, taking the lead just before the half-hour mark, when Dowman won the ball back inside the Villa half of the field, cutting inside and firing an unstoppable effort into the bottom corner to give his team the lead.
The away side were well on top, and looking to establish a more secure lead before the interval. Theo Julienne charged into the box and found Zecevic-John, but he headed over, doing the same moments later when the ball had fallen to him in the air.
Villa managed to regain some composure as the half drew to a close, and got to the break still within one goal of their visitors as the referee brought the curtain down on the opening 45 minutes.
But the second half saw the away side find another gear with an extra player, as they proved too strong for the hosts. Within five minutes of the restart, they had established a two-goal cushion, as Dowman danced through the home defence and into the area, rolling an effort beyond Asemota and into the bottom corner.
The Gunners’ half-time changes also meant they had fresh legs to eat up the space being left by Shan’s players, and substitute Ceadach O’Neill might have done better with a pair of efforts from inside the box, though Asemota was equal to them.
Dowman was looking for his hat-trick, and was proving a constant thorn in Villa’s side, as he continued to threaten and go close.
But it was to be Zecevic-John who found Arsenal’s third and final goal just after the hour mark to make sure of the result, picking the ball up on the edge of the area and hammering high into the top corner, leaving Asemota with no chance.
With a three-goal lead established, the Gunners were able to see out the remaining half-hour, limiting Villa once again to forays forward on the counter attack with the limited amount of possession they were able to enjoy.
Still, the Gunners looked for more, and Asemota had to be alert to deny a powerful, low effort from Harriman-Annous which looked destined for the bottom corner, but there was no real urgency from the visiting side to add further to their advantage as the game ticked into its closing stages.
The final whistle sounded to condemn Villa to a first defeat in six, as they were presented with a shield by Jacob Ramsey to mark their Under-18 Premier League South title win.
Shan’s side will take on Manchester City at Villa Park next Saturday in the Under-18 Premier League National final, their last outing of the 2024/25 campaign.
