Wanderers suffered a 4-1 defeat against Premier League side Aston Villa despite a spirited performance at the UniBol.

Dion Charles put the Whites in front but the visitors hit back through Douglas Luiz, Danny Ings, Lucas Digne and Leon Bailey to book their place in the Carabao Cup third round.

John McGinn and Cameron Archer also had chances in the final stages but Joel Dixon made a couple of smart stops.

Charles on target

Charles will be aiming to push on after scoring his first goal of the campaign with a simple finish past Emiliano Martinez.

The Northern Ireland international hit the ground running after his move from Accrington Stanley and looks set to be a big player for Wanderers this season.

Despite his recent injury frustrations, Charles looked lively throughout the game and caused the Villa defence problems with his relentless pressing.

Evatt has challenged one of his strikers to step up and push for a big total this season, and the 26-year-old certainly has the ability to do so.

Decisions go against Wanderers

EFL sides need a bit of luck when aiming to pull of a shock against Premier League opposition, but that wasn’t the case for Wanderers.

There were suggestions Ings was offside before he was adjudged to have ben fouled in the box by Joel Dixon during the second half.

Steven Gerrard admitted the incident swung the game in his side’s favour, with Digne’s goal coming just minutes later.

There were also appeals that Dixon had been impeded for the equaliser earlier in the game, but referee Andrew Kitchen awarded the goal.

Evatt continues to ring the changes

Wanderers have real strength in depth this season and Evatt maintains that he trusts all his players to deliver when called upon.

The Bolton chief made six changes from the side that faced Sheffield Wednesday over the weekend, and some fans have questioned whether it was the right call.

But the league is their “bread and butter”, as Evatt said before the game, and his selection will look like a masterstroke if the Whites win at Plymouth this weekend.

It is a tough fixture on paper though, with Steven Schumacher’s side sitting fifth in the League One table after winning three of their opening five matches.

Lee’s quality shines through

Evatt has had to be cautious with Kieran Lee’s game time in the early stages of the season, but the experienced midfielder reminded Wanderers fans of the quality he possesses.

He showed skill and composure in abundance to go round Calum Chambers before setting up Charles for the opening goal.

Lee tends to play in the number 10 role in the Whites’ current system but was equally effective in a deeper role alongside MJ Williams against the Premier League outfit.