Emi Buendia scored on his return to the starting XI to help Aston Villa secure their passage into the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.
Aston Villa travelled to Wycombe Wanderers on Tuesday night as several players were looking to send a clear message to Unai Emery.
Jhon Duran and Ross Barkley both started after impressing off the bench recently while Emery handed full debuts to Kosta Nedeljkovic, Sil Swinkels and Kadan Young.
It was a much-changed starting XI to the one that beat Wolves on Saturday but the visitors were still expected to dominate however, the narrative of the game didn’t exactly go to plan.
Wycombe threatened Villa on multiple occasions and they were unable to take control of the game despite their technical superiority in the middle of the park.
Luckily, Emi Buendia popped up when his side needed him most, as Villa’s captain on the night scored on his first start for over 16 months with a looping header after great work by Young down the left.
Duran then doubled their lead from the penalty spot with a few minutes left, and although Wycombe scored a late consolation, the night belonged to Buendia.
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Emi Buendia sends ‘special’ message to Aston Villa after scoring vs Wycombe
Buendia was sidelined since sustaining a knee ligament injury last August that kept him out for the entire season.
The 27-year-old was forced to watch on as his teammates helped Villa finish in fourth place and qualify for the Champions League.
It was an incredibly difficult period for the Argentine, who has suffered horrendous luck with injuries, but waiting patiently to recover will have felt worth it after scoring on his first start since a win over Tottenham in May 2023.
Buendia carried the responsibility of being captain well and after netting at Adams Park, he issued a ‘special’ message to the club.
Speaking to Sky Sports post-game, Buendia said: “Really special night. To come back & play for this club, it’s my fourth season here, I really love this football club so today, to have the captain’s armband, to help the team with a goal & get through to the next round is an amazing feeling.”
Buendia one of the few highlights for Aston Villa vs Wycombe
Since this was his first start in well over a year, it would have been easy to forgive Buendia for lacking match sharpness but alongside Young, he was Villa’s most promising attacking player.
The Argentine didn’t just score his goal, he also accurately placed three long balls, won six of his 10 ground duels and recorded an 85% pass completion.
Buendia was a rare shining light and one Emery would have been impressed with. Sadly, similar can’t be said for a few other senior stars, namely Onana and Barkley.
That duo failed to control the midfield for most of the game as they let possession bypass them instead of distributing play calmly and effectively.
Barkley, in particular, will need to improve on his performance if he is going to dislodge one of Onana or Youri Tielemans from the starting XI.
