Gerrard was fired late Thursday night after the 3-0 defeat at Fulhamwith first-team coach Aaron Danks in charge of housekeepers – and he got the perfect response from the Villa players as they rioted in the opening quarter.
Leon Bailey’s strike and Danny Ings’ brace blew the Bees away and put them on course for just a third win of the season, with Ollie Watkins’ goal on the hour adding the shine to a memorable afternoon.
It must have been painful for Gerrard to watch in the unlikely event that he watched, as he had constantly called on his front players to deliver more in the last few weeks of his reign.
Perhaps a performance like this immediately after the former England captain’s departure speaks volumes, but it bolsters Villa’s abilities and any new manager will be thrilled.
It may be too early for Danks to be considered a candidate, but he has shown himself to be a safe pair of hands as the search continues, with Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim still the all-time favourite.
Bee boss Thomas Frank is also one of the bookies’ favorites for the role, but his chances won’t have been increased by his team’s dismal performance as they await their first away win of the campaign.
Danks, who made the bold decision to drop captain John McGinn, could not have dreamed of a better start to his life in the Villa dugout as his side shot to a 3-0 lead. It took them just 63 seconds to move forward as Douglas Luiz in a well executed corner routine called in Bailey, whose low shot from 40 yards found the bottom corner.
Six minutes later things got better when Ings doubled the lead, scoring his first league goal since August when he converted Bailey’s low center. Villa was relentless, making it 3-0 in the 14th minute after Kristoffer Ajer knocked down Tyrone Mings in a corner when Kristoffer Ajer sent the resulting dot down the middle.
Brentford, who were beaten 5-1 at Newcastle in their previous away game, were shocked and they were lucky to be just three down as Villa kept pushing.
Luiz flashed an effort just wide after making room for himself before the hosts were denied by the heroism of Bees goalkeeper David Raya, who made three quick saves just before half-time. First the Spaniard got a fingertip on a bad Luiz angle to tip him onto the post, then got up to brilliantly claw away Watkins’ effort before also blocking a low Matty Cash shot.
Villa was able to add a fourth after the break when Watkins came on the scoresheet after an hour. He eventually converted on the third attempt after the dangerous Bailey outplayed him, with Raya again making two great saves to refuse him.
Elsewhere on Sunday, the clinical Leicester revolted to climb out of the drop zone and stir Wolves when Molineux threatened to turn poisonous.
Youri Tielemans’ brilliant opener set the Foxes on their way to an unbridled 4-0 win and their first away win of the season. Harvey Barnes, James Maddison and Jamie Vardy also struck when the Foxes scored with their first four shots.
bottom of the Eredivisie at the start of the day, Leicester finished it out of the drop zone – and two points clear – after crucial back-to-back wins.
For Wolves, the signs are ominous. They failed to capitalize on their chances – despite 21 shots – and were penalized in a wild opening that forced them to catch up.
without manager, Failed to convince Michael Beale to leave QPRwith Steve Davis as caretaker, the season unravels until 2023 as Molineux topped the club’s hierarchy after a fifth loss in six games.
Additional reporting by PA.