John Townley’s Aston Villa player ratings after Unai Emery’s side lose 3-0 at Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup
21:34, 28 Oct 2026Updated 21:43, 28 Oct 2026
Alvaro Rodriguez scored Bournemouth’s third
Aston Villa have been dumped out of the Carabao Cup in the fourth round after losing 3-0 to Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.
Amine Adli opened the scoring in the seventh minute, tucking away Julio Soler’s cross, before Lewis Cook caught Marco Bizot out after the break. Alvaro Rodriguez then added a third with 20 minutes to play.
George Hemmings came closest to equalising for Villa in the first half, flashing an effort wide of the far corner after being played in by Joao Gomes.
Brian Madjo – making his second start for the club – and Ibrahim Mbaye also passed up chances to restore parity before Bizot produced a superb save to deny Juanlu Sanchez.
However, from the resulting corner, Villa’s second-choice goalkeeper failed to deal with Cook’s delivery towards the near post, all but ending the club’s hopes of reaching the quarter-finals for just the second time in 14 seasons.
The result was rubber-stamped in the 69th minute when Rodriguez slammed the ball past Bizot after Lamare Bogarde gave possession away cheaply in Villa’s defensive third.
Villa return to Premier League action this weekend when they host Fulham on Saturday night. They then travel to Barcelona in the Champions League before taking on Manchester United at Old Trafford ahead of the November international break.
Make sure you never miss the latest Aston Villa news and opinion by making Birmingham Live one of your Google preferred sources.
Get YOUR Aston Villa Newsletter
Get the best Villa news, updates and analysis from John Townley and more, straight to your Inbox!
To get it, it’s a quick and easy one-two:
Head THIS WAYEnter your email and hit Subscribe.Player ratings
Marco Bizot
After being beaten in the seventh minute, Bizot prevented a fierce effort from Gannon-Doak from squeezing in at a tight angle. He made a great save to deny Sanchez but was beaten far too easily by Cook’s cross, which somehow caught him out at the near post. 4
Lamare Bogarde
Bogarde was beaten by a ball over the top, which led to Bournemouth’s opener. He gave the ball away for Bournemouth’s third. He hasn’t proven himself at right-back. 3
Taylor Harwood-Bellis
Harwood-Bellis made his second start after also playing in the previous Carabao Cup game against Coventry. He made a big block against Tavernier in the 18th minute after the Cherries winger made space in the box. He failed to really test the ‘keeper after being picked out by Gomes in the 68th minute. 5
Tyrone Mings
Mings should have done more to prevent Sanchez from getting a shot off inside the box, which led to the corner from which Bournemouth doubled their lead. The defence was shaky tonight. 4
Ian Maatsen
Maatsen was the only fit left-back in the squad, with Matteo Ruggeri and Aaron Wan-Bissaka both injured. It was his second start in a row after missing several weeks through injury. 4
Leon Goretzka
Goretzka made his first start this evening. He was composed in possession and didn’t rush things when Villa were trying to establish some territory in the final third. He’s not ready to start yet. 5
Joao Gomes
Gomes created Villa’s first big chance when he played the ball forward for Hemmings to race onto inside the box. He also scooped a cross over for Harwood-Bellis, but the defender’s header was weak. 6
Ibrahim Mbaye
Mbaye struggled to get into the game as Villa lacked control in the first half. He led a dangerous counter-attack at the start of the second half, but his strike deflected wide of the post. 5
Emi Buendia
Buendia was booked for an early foul and never got into the game before being taken off with 20 minutes to play. 5
George Hemmings
Hemmings was Villa’s best player in the first half and came closest to equalising when he whipped an effort just wide of the far post from inside the box. He was effective in tight spaces and carried the ball well, too. 6
Brian Madjo
Madjo made his first start since the Super Cup tonight and won his first physical battle against former Lille centre-back Bafode Diakite. He took a heavy touch when the ball fell to him inside the box after Buendia’s shot was deflected. He was booked for diving in the first half. Michele Di Gregorio made a strong save to deny him shortly before he came off. 6
SUBS
Alysson (for Hemmings, 58′): Created a chance for himself just moments after coming on. Should have done better with a header late on. 6
Alejandro Garnacho (for Mbaye, 58′): Missed a one-on-one at an angle, but made a great chance for Alysson. His pace caused problems. 6
Ross Barkley (for Buendia, 70′): Villa still couldn’t get control after Barkley’s introduction. 6
John McGinn (for Goretzka, 70′): Played higher up with striker. Game was done after he and Barkley came on. 6
Tammy Abraham (for Madjo, 76′): N/A
Subs not used: Suzuki, Cash, Kamara, Cisse.
GOALS
Bournemouth: Adli (7′), Cook (51′), Rodriguez (69′)
Aston Villa: N/A
How to follow our Aston Villa coverage
John Townley
You can follow our dedicated reporter John Townley on X by clicking here – he follows Villa home and away and offers you comprehensive coverage from matchdays, press conferences and everything that happens in between.
So much happens day to day and sometimes you can struggle to keep on top of the very latest updates as and when they occur – that’s why we have produced a daily newsletter which you can sign up to, for free, and which means you’ll have a round-up of the key stories land in your email inbox.
You’ll also get competition offers and stories around discounts on Villa merchandise.
Sign up to the Villa newsletter here.
WhatsApp: You can also get all your favourite content from BirminghamLive’s Villa team on WhatsApp. Click here to sign up for breaking updates about the biggest stories in and around the club.If you prefer reading our Villa stories on your phone, consider downloading the BirminghamLive app, in which you can personalise the content you see by selecting Villa as one of your designated topics. You can get it from Apple here and for Android here.
Social: We have a Facebook page waiting for you with daily updates, some of which we don’t post anywhere else – click here
You can also folllow our Villa updates on X – here
Podcast: Our weekly Aston Villa podcast, Claret And Blue, is also available to watch and listen on all major streaming services. You can subscribe to the YouTube channel here, while you can access the podcast on Spotify here and via Apple here.
Midlands Football editor Steve Wollaston said: “We pride ourselves on covering all the topics of interest to Villa fans, from tactics and team news to kit launches and transfer rumours. Signing up for our newsletter means you won’t miss anything that’s happening at Villa Park and Bodymoor Heath.”
Our Villa newsletter is already a huge success, so don’t miss out – just sign up today and you will automatically receive all the headline news straight to your phone, tablet or computer.