Heavy cup defeat: Leon Goretzka endures nightmare first start for Aston Villa

Leon Goretzka has yet to find his feet at his new club Aston Villa. His first start turns into a nightmare.

Making his first start since his transfer, former Bayern Munich midfielder Goretzka suffered a heavy defeat with the Villans away to AFC Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening.

The Birmingham club lost 0-3 to the Cherries, with former Leverkusen player Amine Adli scoring in the 7th minute, Lewis Cook in the 51st and Alvaro Rodriguez in the 69th. Coach Unai Emery replaced Goretzka with John McGinn after 70 minutes.

After joining Aston Villa on a free transfer in the summer following the expiry of his Bayern Munich contract, Goretzka missed the opening matches because of persistent knee problems.

His debut came just under two weeks ago, when he appeared in the closing stages of the 6-0 Champions League win against Fenerbahce Istanbul. Three further brief appearances against Newcastle United, Viking FK and Manchester City followed before Emery handed him his first start.

On Saturday, the 31-year-old's next opportunity to play comes when Aston Villa host Fulham in the Premier League.