Aston Villa secured a 1-1 draw with Brentford on Saturday with Douglas Luiz’s late goal earning a share of the spoils in what was a difficult encounter.
The home side enjoyed lengthy spells of pressure throughout the game, and they were eventually able to find a breakthrough with Ivan Toney’s second-half goal.
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While Villa had defended resiliently up to that point, it was a disappointing setback and in a game where we were struggling to get our attacking rhythm and quality going, it looked as though we were set to return home empty-handed.
However, Luiz scored a crucial goal in the latter stages to secure a very good point in the context of the game, and while we looked dangerous as we pushed for a winner after that, it’s a positive result against a good Brentford side who are strong at home, and we can hopefully continue to improve and build off it.
Aston Villa player ratings vs Brentford:
Emiliano Martinez, 7 – Made some crucial saves in the first half to keep it goalless, and showed his experience and leadership with Villa under pressure. Relief to hear it was a stomach bug that forced him off at half-time rather than an injury, so we hope to see him make the starting XI vs Fulham.
Ashley Young, 6 – Had his hands full on that side up against Schade and struggled at times in dealing with that threat. Will be most disappointed with his failed clearance for the goal though as he allowed the cross to slip past and Toney was able to score.
Ezri Konsa, 6.5 – A tough afternoon for the entire defence but showed good awareness and positioning at times to snuff out danger and keep things relatively tight at the back given we were under the cosh quite a lot.
Tyrone Mings, 7 – Another strong, physical performance as he was a big presence in the air in dealing with crosses while he was also switched on throughout and put in a solid shift.
Alex Moreno, 6.5 – Showed good energy and intent again with his attacking play as he offered width and an attacking outlet but it was a difficult game for him defensively, with Brentford posing a big threat with their own width and game plan to switch play quickly.
John McGinn, 6.5 – Hardworking as always and had a couple of efforts on goal which went close, but wasn’t at his influential best in this one as we struggled collectively to control the game and dominate.
Leander Dendoncker, 6.5 – Kept things tidy in possession and provided protection in front of the backline, but again, with Villa struggling to control the tempo, our midfield wasn’t as influential as it has been in recent weeks.
Douglas Luiz, 7.5 – Produced a fine finish to grab a late equaliser as he did well to get into the box and find space in the first place. A good performance overall as he kept us ticking in possession to try and gain a foothold in the game.
Jacob Ramsey, 6.5 – Missed a big chance in the second half as he lifted his close-range effort over the bar as he stretched for the ball, and although he showed glimpses of his ability, it wasn’t consistent enough to offer a sustained threat or influence on our play.
Emiliano Buendia, 7 – Did brilliantly to keep his composure and find Luiz for the equaliser, and he was constantly probing throughout in an attempt to find a way through the Brentford defence. Yes, he wasn’t able to play the killer final pass, but his ability to find spaces between the lines and show that creativity and flair to try and make something happen is a key component of our play.
Ollie Watkins, 6 – Credit to the Brentford backline as they did well limiting his impact. Often found himself dropping deeper and having his back to goal, and when he was making runs off the ball to give the likes of Buendia an option, his markers did a solid job of tracking him and cutting out that final through ball.
Substitutes:
Robin Olsen, 6 – Given the circumstances, did ok. Almost gifted a goal to Schade, but did a decent job in a difficult situation, albeit that level of security with Martinez wasn’t there.
Bertrand Traore, 6 – Added fresh impetus to our attacking play and was a positive influence in our build up as we searched for an equaliser.
Lucas Digne, 6 – Showed good intent getting forward down the left flank to add a fresh attacking threat.
Calum Chambers, 6 – Steady performance in the last half hour or so as he added fresh legs and tried to shore up that right side.
