Aston Villa marked their return to the second tier of English football with a 1-0 defeat by Sheffield Wednesday when their Championship campaign got off to a stuttering start at Hillsborough yesterday.
Villa failed to clear their lines following a sliced clearance from goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini in the 85th minute and the ball fell to Wednesday forward Fernando Forestieri who made no mistake from close range.
After 28 consecutive seasons in the top flight, former European champions Villa were relegated for the first time since 1988 after their dire showing in the Premier League last season, when they finished in 20th place with 17 points.
Wednesday’s new summer signing Steven Fletcher was replaced with a nasty head injury 27 minutes into his debut, while Ashley Westwood, Jordan Ayew and Ross McCormack all missed chances to put Villa ahead before Forestieri’s winner.
Earlier, Garry Monk’s first competitive game in charge of Leeds United ended in a 3-0 defeat to QPR at Loftus Road.
Rangers went ahead following a fourth-minute error by their former goalkeeper Rob Green, making his Leeds debut, before Tjaronn Chery added a second from the penalty spot on 73 minutes after Jordan Cousins had been fouled in the area by Ronaldo Vieira.
And Sebastian Polter struck in injury time when he got in front of Lewie Coyle to collect Nedum Onuoha’s diagonal ball and fire into the top corner from a tight angle.
Monk insisted his team will improve along the season.
“It is obviously disappointing – not the start we wanted,” he said.
“We made a lot of mistakes individually and lacked that bit of intensity. You can’t give 45 minutes to the opposition like that.
“But this is just one game and I am confident we have the quality and the character in the group. It’s a process and I said when I walked in that it’s not going to happen overnight.”
Leeds’ travelling fans made their disgust clear, jeering their team’s below-par display and once again chanting for owner Massimo Cellino to step down.
Monk said: “We had great travelling support today and had the intention of getting the right result and the right start to the season but it was not to be.
“We feel for them, feel frustrated for them, but it’s a process and there will be ups and downs.
“We will make sure we get a reaction. They will have a team to be proud of.”
The Championship
QPR vs Leeds United - 3-0
Sheffield Wed. vs Aston Villa - 1-0