‘A right royal rout’ – How the national press saw Aston Villa’s thumping Norwich City win

Aston Villa finally converted their dominance into goals as they thrashed Norwich City 5-1 at Carrow Road.

After a number of impressive away performances had yielded no points, Dean Smith’s men finally opened their account on the road in stunning fashion.

A first half Wesley brace was followed up by strikes from midfielders Jack Grealish, Conor Hourihane and Douglas Luiz as Villa ran over the Canaries.

In a meeting of two of the newly promoted teams, the Villans thrashed last season’s Championship champions, moving them up to 14th in the table in the process.

There were VIPs in the crowd to take in Villa’s comfortable win, Prince William was in attendance, alongside his young family as he watched his beloved team put Norwich to the sword.

We’ve taken a look at the national media to see how they reported the demolition job in East Anglia. To read the full report click on the link at the top of the excerpt.

The Guardian

Dean Smith hailed Wesley as a “terrific player” after the Brazilian striker’s two early goals set Aston Villa on their way to a 5-1 victory away to opponents who beat the champions Manchester City in their last game in this stadium.

The Villa manager had said before the game he was backing the club’s £22m record signing to make an impact, adding that the striker had trained well after coming under criticism for having scored only two goals across seven matches. The visitors had not won away in the league this season but were ahead after 15 minutes. Wesley found himself in space in the centre of the box after a ball from El Ghazi and he expertly controlled the ball on his chest before slotting home.

The Brazilian struck again on the half-hour mark, tapping home a Conor Hourihane cross, but he missed a chance for a hat-trick just before half-time from 12 yards after a trip by Kenny McLean on Hourihane. The penalty – and rebound – were brilliantly saved by Michael McGovern, Norwich’s third‑choice goalkeeper.

In the second half, Jack Grealish scored his first goal of the season after a one-two with El Ghazi before Hourihane and Douglas Luiz, with a superb curled effort, added the shine to the win. The Norwich substitute Josip Drmic grabbed a late consolation, pouncing on a defensive error from Tyrone Mings and challenging the goalkeeper Tom Heaton for the ball before rolling it into the empty net.

Daily Mail

Dean Smith promised to give the Duke of Cambridge a ticket for Aston Villa’s home game with Brighton after they produced a display to delight him as he watched from the stands.

Prince William enjoyed a family outing along with the Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George and Princess Charlotte as Jack Grealish inspired Villa to their best performance of the campaign, a crushing win that lifted them out of the bottom three.

Smith said: ‘I’ll have to get him [the Duke of Cambridge] a ticket for the next game. I didn’t know he was coming but it was great to put on a performance like that for him.’

Two goals from centre-forward Wesley and further strikes from Grealish, Conor Hourihane and substitute Douglas Luiz ended a run of 10 away defeats in the top flight for Villa. Substitute Josip Drmic scored a stoppage-time consolation for Norwich, which Smith missed as he needed to go to the toilet.

Wesley could have had a first-half hat-trick, but his penalty was saved by Michael McGovern, the third-choice goalkeeper for injury-ravaged Norwich, whose manager Daniel Farke will want to forget his 100th league match in charge.

The Sun

ASTON VILLA enjoyed a right royal rout – in front of the future king.

Prince William was sat in the stands to watch his beloved Villa, alongside his wife Kate and kids. 

And Dean Smith’s side went on to put in a regal performance befitting of the surprise Carrow Road guests.

Jack Grealish – the Fresh Prince of Villa Park – scored and ran the show, while their new Brazilian goal king Wesley bagged a brace.

And Connor Hourihane and Douglas Luiz crowned things for the visitors in what was a day trip to remember for the Cambridges.

Wills took a punt bringing his family to this one given Villa had not won away in the Premier League since August 2015 – and had lost their last ten on the road in the top flight.

Yet Smith’s men made things heir-y for the hosts from the off – and Prince George and Princess Charlotte will now be Villans for life.

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The Independent

Could this be the end of a frustrating start to the season for Dean Smith and Aston Villa? A win away from home against fellow promoted side Norwich is a big win, ending a pattern of good performances that failed to deliver the desired results.

Most importantly perhaps, Wesley looks to have gotten underway on the goalscoring front. Replacing Tammy Abraham’s output was never going to be simple, but Wesley proved today that he can be a useful talisman (even if he did miss a penalty).

Both were real poacher’s goals. Right place, right time and for Villa, possibly the right man.