Aston Villa fell to a bitterly disappointing 3-1 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford in our key Premier League showdown on Sunday afternoon.
The hosts took the lead early in the second half but Villa struck back not long after through Ross Barkley, and from that point it looked as though it rallied us as we pushed on in search of a second.
However, that period of pressure didn’t last long either as United restored their lead just five minutes later before making the win safe in the latter stages, and so we’ve now fallen three points behind them in the standings, with the potential to drop down to fifth by the end of the day’s play depending on Liverpool’s result against Tottenham.
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It was a hugely frustrating display as it was felt that we had the opportunity to go on and win this game given United were poor for large periods too, and even after Barkley’s equaliser brought us level, we had a second crack at it.
However, a combination of sloppy play, lack of quality, defensive errors and individual mistakes all conspired to cost us, and so it’s another bitterly disappointing loss that further dents our hopes of Champions League qualification.
It’s Lille at home in the second leg of our round-of-16 Europa League tie next on Thursday night, and once again, Villa have to produce a response in that game.
Aston Villa player ratings vs Man Utd:
Emiliano Martinez, 5.5 – Made a few important saves to keep us in the game, and little he could have done for the three goals given the poor defensive work in front of him.
Lamare Bogarde, 5 – There is an element of sympathy given he’s still inexperienced and out of his natural position, but at this level, you can’t keep using those as excuses. Lacks composure on the ball and was caught out for the third goal in particular as his defensive work was nowhere near good enough.
Ezri Konsa, 5 – While he’s quick to point the finger and air his frustration with a teammate after conceding, that’s the second game in a row where he’s lost his man making a deeper run before they’ve gone on to score. His level has undoubtedly dropped.
Tyrone Mings, 5 – Made his presence felt at times and produced some solid defensive work, but it still baffles me as to why he’s picked over Pau Torres if the Spaniard is fit. Pau’s defensive work has improved and he offers so much more in possession, and yet Emery still goes back to Mings every other game.
Lucas Digne, 5 – Played well in the first half in both phases but without really making a significant impact at either end of the pitch. Got into good positions down the left flank, but the end-product wasn’t there to make it count.
Amadou Onana, 6 – Important presence in midfield as he covered so much ground, got stuck into tackles and tried to give us control and a foundation to build on. Didn’t have the necessary support around him further up the pitch to help make his role more effective.
Ross Barkley, 6.5 – Was composed and controlled in possession to help us dictate and get a foothold in the game, and produced a fantastic finish to draw us level. Made a strong case to be more involved as he looked very effective in deeper areas helping us build our play.
John McGinn, 5.5 – Great to have our skipper back in the starting line-up, and while there were positive passages of play from him particularly in the first half, you could see he’s still lacking match fitness and sharpness. That will come after an hour on the pitch on Sunday, and we’re certainly a better side with him in it.
Emiliano Buendia, 4.5 – Gets into good positions between the lines and so he should be credited for his awareness and positional intelligence. The problem is that there isn’t enough quality in the next step when he needs to make something happen and create openings for us to score from.
Morgan Rogers, 5 – Ball retention continues to be a problem for him as he loses the ball too easily at times. Looked bright on occasion and it’s clear that he can be our most dangerous threat in the final third, but the quality and consistency just isn’t there.
Ollie Watkins, 4.5 – Despite the boost of his midweek goal, it was back to more of the same from Watkins as he struggled to offer any threat up front. His hold up play was also poor, and so again, it has to be questioned as to why Tammy Abraham isn’t getting more game time as we’re sorely missing quality up top.
Substitutes:
Tammy Abraham, 5 – Lacking sharpness given his limited minutes and so it’s understandable why he couldn’t get his shape right for a chance that fell to him shortly after coming on. Needs to start on Thursday.
Leon Bailey, 4 – Sadly, this just isn’t working out for Bailey since his return. He’s offering nowhere near enough quality on the ball, and it was his poor play and surrendering of possession cheaply that led to the second goal. Questionable as to why he continues to be brought on.
Ian Maatsen, N/A
Douglas Luiz, N/A
Andres Garcia, N/A
