Emi Buendia believes Carabao Cup win outlines key Aston Villa strength

Buendia captained a team in which record signing Amadou Onana was the only player to have made a Premier League start this season.

Boss Unai Emery opted to mix first-team stars in need of playing time with prospects from the club’s academy, with four players getting their first taste of senior football as the visitors edged a 2-1 win over their League One hosts thanks to goals from Buendia and Jhon Duran, the latter converting a controversial penalty.

Buendia said: “We showed we have a deep squad and many good players. We rotated and we put in a few young lads. It was a really nice night.

“It’s important for the club and the team to have as many players as we have. We need to show our quality and we have many competitions and we need to go for everything.”

The Argentina international’s 55th-minute opener, set up by one of the players making his senior bow, Kadan Young, was his first goal in 18 months largely lost to serious injury.

Tuesday was Buendia’s first start for the club in more than 500 days and he said: “It’s an amazing feeling to be back with the team and to play again from the start.

“Also to help the team with a goal and to go to another round, so I am very happy.

“It was many long months waiting for this moment. It was a really hard process, but every day I look back to when I had to stay inside working hard, looking at my teammates training and playing.

“I tried to prepare myself as good as possible. I could help the team again.”

Duran scored his fifth of the season from the penalty spot with five minutes remaining to double Villa’s advantage and it proved a crucial strike, when Richard Kone then netted a deserved consolation for the hosts deep into stoppage time.

Wycombe boss Matt Bloomfield said his team were a “little bit aggrieved” at the award of the penalty, with replays suggesting there was no contact between Duran and goalkeeper Franco Ravizzoli when the former tumbled in the box after exchanging passes with Ross Barkley.

“I have seen it back and my feeling is it was a soft one,” said Bloomfield.

In addition to Young, Emery introduced teenagers Aidan Borland, Ben Broggio and Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba off the bench as Villa finished the tie with seven players aged 20 or under on the pitch.

The win was Emery’s first in the Carabao Cup as Villa manager and his 50th overall since taking charge of the club. No Villa boss has reached the landmark quicker.

“We knew before coming here that for them (Wycombe) it was a big challenge coming up against a Premier League team,” said Buendia.

“We know they tried to show their quality and they fought really hard. The first half was really hard and the second half we made more chances.”