Bournemouth win 3-0 with less of the ball and better chances

Aston Villa had more possession and more passes at the Vitality Stadium, but Bournemouth's chances were worth far more and their three goals settled a League Cup tie.

Aston Villa had more of the ball at the Vitality Stadium, completed more passes, and still left without a goal. Bournemouth won 3-0 on fewer passes and less possession, and the reason lies in a measure called expected goals, or xG, which gives each shot a score for how likely it was to go in. Bournemouth's chances added up to 2.69, while Villa's came to 1.67.

Across this league a side usually takes around 13.4 shots and builds about 1.49 xG in a match, so both teams were busier than normal in front of goal. Bournemouth's 19 shots were the more dangerous group, with 16 of them struck from inside the box. Villa's 17 shots were nearly as many, but fewer of them came from close range. Three goals is close to this league's usual total of 3.1 per match, so the scoreline itself was ordinary. The quality of the chances was not.

Amine Adli opened the scoring in the seventh minute, set up by Julio Soler, and he was the first of three Bournemouth scorers. Lewis Cook made it two early in the second half, finishing a pass from Ben Gannon-Doak, and Álvaro Rodríguez added the third in the 69th minute, assisted by Tyler Adams. Adli had come off at half-time, so the first goal and the last two came from players on the pitch for different parts of the night.

Bournemouth's shots were more accurate in the sense that more of them hit the target: seven on target against Villa's five. Di Gregorio, the Bournemouth goalkeeper, made five saves, and Bizot made four for Villa, so both keepers had work to do. Bournemouth also won six corners to Villa's two, a sign of how often they got the ball into the attacking third. Each side picked up three yellow cards and nobody was sent off, so discipline did not decide the night.

Lewis Cook's goal and his overall contribution gave him the highest rating on the pitch, with Di Gregorio close behind for his saves. Villa's most effective player in the contests for the ball was João Gomes, who won six duels, more than anyone else on either side. His side still could not turn that effort into a goal, which is the part of the match the scoreboard makes hardest to see.

Bournemouth's last six matches include four clean sheets, and this win made five in their last seven. The three goals were scored by three different players, and only one of them, Adli, was a player who had started the match and left before the end of the first half. Villa's 17 shots and 1.67 xG produced nothing on the scoreboard, and that is the line that stands out from the evening.

Player of the matchL. Cook1 goal8.1

M. Di Gregorio5 saves8.0

A. Adli1 goal7.9

B. Doak1 assist7.7