Aston Villa claimed a narrow 1-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday, secured by a decisive second-half strike from Boubacar Kamara.
The midfielder settled a tense derby with a precise left-foot finish into the top corner, a moment of quality that arrived just as Villa were struggling to turn pressure into chances.
The win pushed them to a seventh league victory in eight matches and briefly lifted them into third place as their strong run under manager Unai Emery continued.
Wolves contributed to a tight contest and created several of the game’s best openings despite their miserable position at the foot of the Premier League table.
Jorgen Strand Larsen’s early goal was ruled out for offside interference, denying the visitors a breakthrough that would have changed the mood at Villa Park.
Emiliano Martinez then turned a Yerson Mosquera header onto the bar on the stroke of half-time, a save that kept Villa in the match during Wolves’ best spell.
The visitors carried the same threat after the interval and forced Villa into hurried defending as Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Strand Larsen continued to find space in transition.
Villa weathered the storm and found their moment after John McGinn drove down the right and pulled the ball back to Kamara on the edge of the box.
The midfielder controlled the ball, opened his body and arrowed a powerful effort beyond Sam Johnstone to break Wolves’ hearts after their stubborn performance.
Villa grew in confidence from that point and nearly doubled their advantage through Donyell Malen, although Johnstone recovered well after misjudging a high cross.
There was late drama when VAR checked a potential red card for Jhon Arias, but he escaped with only a booking to keep their hopes alive in the final minutes.
Martinez still had to intervene deep into stoppage time to deny Joao Gomes as Wolves pushed for an equaliser they arguably deserved.
Villa held firm to preserve another valuable win while Wolves were left with familiar frustration and a 13-match winless run that left them deep in trouble.
