Aston Villa secured a battling 1-0 win over Brentford on Saturday evening in a major boost for our Champions League qualification hopes.
Ollie Watkins struck early in the second half to seal the three points, as Villa produced a strong defensive effort to keep a rare clean sheet, which in turn set the foundation for our victory.
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It’s a critical win that helps us close the gap on our rivals in the Premier League standings, and further, it will no doubt boost morale and belief having secured a positive result after our midweek European exploits, something we’ve struggled with all season.
Focus will quickly switch back to the Champions League though as we attempt to advance to the quarter-finals, but this is such a pivotal win and a hard-fought one at that.
Aston Villa player ratings vs Brentford:
Robin Olsen, 7 – Played his part in helping us keep a clean sheet with some important saves and claimed dangerous balls into the area. Equally, he did look unsure and uneasy at times too, but did his job in difficult circumstances.
Axel Disasi, 8.5 – Immense. Used his physicality and reading of the game effectively, and produced some pivotal last-ditch tackles to cut out the threat from Brentford down that side. A really impressive shift at right-back to help us secure a much-needed clean sheet.
Ezri Konsa, 8 – Looked assured and in control throughout with his positional awareness and tenacity in and out of possession. Strong showing from the entire backline to set the foundation for the win.
Tyrone Mings, 8 – Will be disappointed he didn’t break the deadlock in the early stages with a big chance falling his way, but this was another impressive defensive display as he continues to give us physical presence and leadership at the back, while clearing danger consistently.
Lucas Digne, 8 – A really strong performance from a defensive perspective as he made timely interventions to limit Brentford’s threat down their right wing. Limited going forward, but he had a job to do defensively, and he did it really well.
John McGinn, 7 – Gave us presence and tenacity in midfield to help us get a foothold in the early stages. Did make some mistakes, but his use of the ball was key in helping us control tempo and build our play.
Youri Tielemans, 8 – Another classy performance from the Belgian midfielder, as he was tenacious without the ball and the orchestrator with it at his feet. Whether it was setting us off in transition or maintaining possession to control tempo, he was a crucial cog in our ability to compete in the encounter.
Leon Bailey, 6 – Quiet evening after his goal in midweek, as although he showed glimpses of being a threat down the right in the first half, it wasn’t enough as he was replaced at the interval.
Morgan Rogers, 6 – Aside from seeing his effort ruled out when he thought he had doubled our lead, he struggled to really impose himself and influence the game. Sloppy in possession, and so whether it’s fatigue or just a drop off, he needs to sharpen his play up once again to be more of a threat in the final third.
Jacob Ramsey, 7 – His movement off the ball and positional awareness was key in helping us create openings and pose a direct threat. Looked lively throughout before being replaced in the second half, and he was certainly a key part of why we were able to trouble Brentford and create chances.
Ollie Watkins, 7 – Scored the all-important match-winner as he slammed his effort goal-ward before it took a deflection on its way into the back of the net. Found it difficult to offer us a focal point up top in his physical battle with the Brentford centre-halves, and he should have done better with a late chance to make the game safe.
Substitutes:
Matty Cash, 7 – Stuck to his task defensively despite being deployed in a more advanced role, and he injected energy and pace into our display after the break.
Boubacar Kamara, 7 – Class showed on and off the ball, as he added a steeliness to our midfield as we protected our lead, while his technical quality in possession allowed him to get out of tight spaces and pressure.
Marcus Rashford, 6 – Didn’t impact the game much after coming on, other than giving us a fresh outlet down the left to pose a different threat in the latter stages.
Donyell Malen, N/A
