There were 11 minutes of peril for Steven Gerrard, 11 minutes when a troubled start to the season threatened to become a terrible one. But if Aston Villa needed to turn a corner, their night changed when they scored direct from one. Gerrard was a triple League Cup winner in his playing days and had four goals to celebrate. The strangest of them, courtesy of Douglas Luiz, meant Bolton Wanderers’ lead was brief and the prospect of Gerrard’s worst result of his time at Villa faded, to be replaced by an emphatic victory.
Danny Ings, Lucas Digne and Leon Bailey swept Villa into the third round and Gerrard could be spared uncomfortable reminders that his sacked predecessor, Dean Smith, took Villa to the final of the Carabao Cup. A matchday squad that cost £235 million to assemble asserted their superiority over the side seventh in League One. Times have changed: it is 18 years since Bolton beat Villa 5-2 in a League Cup semi-final and if they do not meet as equals anymore, their supporters could enjoy singing that Gerrard would be sacked in the morning before Luiz levelled.
It is half a lifetime ago that Gerrard first won the League Cup as part of Gerard Houllier’s double, a decade since he last won it as Kenny Dalglish’s captain. He has scored in finals at the right end and the wrong but even a specialist in the spectacular never found the net quite like Luiz.
He scored straight from a corner that curled over everyone. It is becoming the Brazilian’s party trick. He struck in similar fashion against Walsall in pre-season. His was a spectacular quest for redemption after he was dispossessed seconds before Bolton’s opener. It may be the more significant part of his night, considering he has lost his place to summer signing Boubacar Kamara.
Kamara started and the fact Gerrard only made five changes was a sign victory was an imperative. The five additions included players of the calibre of Philippe Coutinho and Ings and they helped deliver it.
Coutinho has spent more time at Barcelona and Bayern Munich than Bolton in recent years, but he provided a defence-splitting ball. Ings raced on to it for a penalty he won, when fouled by Joel Dixon, and converted. Bolton may rue their decision to select their second-choice goalkeeper, however: Dixon was horribly at fault for Villa’s first goal, perhaps need not have brought down Ings for the second and seemed to dive backwards rather than trying to save Digne’s shot for the third.
Yet Ings got the goal his sharpness had long threatened. He had already seen one strike disallowed, albeit when the offside flag was raised before he put the ball over the line; he had played a part when a second goal was chalked off, with his shot turned in by Ollie Watkins. He had struck the post, after a one-two with his strike partner.
Attacking full-backs form an integral part of Gerrard’s gameplan and if that has led to defensive problems at times in the Premier League it brought a League Cup goal. Digne spent the second half surging forward and had already arrowed one shot wide before he sidefooted another in following Ings’ pass. On the night he lost his status as Everton’s top scorer, he got his first Villa goal since his January move. Gerrard had named a strong bench and Bailey emerged from it to cut in from the right and angle in the fourth goal.
Yet there was a case that the strike of the night came from Bolton. Villa have been strangers to clean sheets and Calum Chambers’ first start of the season was an awkward affair. Kieran Lee embarked on a mesmeric solo run, twisting his way past Chambers, and had the presence of mind to pick out Dion Charles, who was left with a tap-in. For much of his career, Charles, who has played non-league football for Fylde, Halifax and Southport, could not compete in the Carabao Cup. He threatened to become the scourge of former European Cup winners before Luiz struck.
But Wanderers were enterprising and impressive, Ian Evatt’s commitment to attacking football making for an open game. Declan John had almost restored Bolton’s lead with a free kick, the Liverpool loanee Conor Bradley was bright and a second gate of over 20,000 in a week was positive sign. For Gerrard, after traumatic trips to Bournemouth and Crystal Palace this season, a win on the road was welcome.
