Aston Villa secured a battling 1-0 win over Brighton in the Premier League on Wednesday night, with Tyrone Mings forcing an own goal in the latter stages to seal all three points.
It was another struggle for Villa at home after defeats to Everton and Brentford in recent weeks, and it looked like we were set for further disappointment after a disjointed performance lacking quality, rhythm and intensity.
Fortunately, Mings was able to head Leon Bailey’s corner goal-wards late on, and with the help of a deflection, it found the back of the net to secure a crucial win for Villa in the race for Champions League qualification.
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There’s no doubt that we have to raise our level of performance in the coming weeks as we’re still nowhere near the standard required if we are to sustain our push for a top-four finish, but results like this are vital when not playing well, and particularly as we try to keep going amid injury woes with Matty Cash missing out having emerged as our latest absentee.
Villa face Newcastle United in the FA Cup this weekend as we look to try and now build some momentum and a winning streak, and hopefully this result will give everyone a timely boost in confidence having struggled in recent outings to produce convincing displays.
Aston Villa player ratings vs Brighton:
Emiliano Martinez, 8 – Once again produced a fantastic save to keep us in the game as he diverted a long-range effort onto the crossbar while the game was goalless. He’s done that in the last few league games now and so it was another decisive display with a string of other stops too. That said, he is developing an unwanted habit of parrying efforts into a dangerous area, and so that needs to be cut out.
Lamare Bogarde, 6.5 – Did well deputising for Cash with a diligent defensive display. Produced some timely tackles but was also caught out of position on a couple of occasions too, while he offered little going forward. Still, a steady shift that helped us keep a clean sheet.
Ezri Konsa, 7 – Solid and composed as ever to give us a strong foundation at the back. Can do better on set-pieces at the opposite end of the pitch, but was key alongside Mings in keeping things tight at the back.
Tyrone Mings, 7.5 – May not have been awarded the goal but stepped up and produced a critical moment for us to help win the game. Solid defensively, but he does tend to slow our play down at the back and his long balls aren’t particularly accurate which leads to a breakdown in our build-up play.
Ian Maatsen, 7 – One of the few players to play with real energy and intensity, and although he struggled to make the difference when breaking forward down the left side, he made an important contribution in trying to keep building pressure and provide quality in our attacking play.
Amadou Onana, 7 – Important physical presence in midfield as he made a number of timely interventions to provide protection in front of the backline. Wayward with his shooting and didn’t do enough in possession, but a vital effort nonetheless.
Douglas Luiz, 6.5 – Needs minutes and consistency in the team to keep improving. Worked hard, but we need more from him to help us tick in midfield and add rhythm to our play. They are big shoes to fill with Youri Tielemans sidelined, and it’s primarily on Luiz to step in and deliver in his absence.
Jadon Sancho, 6 – Promising early signs as he looked confident and took his defender on, while he also showed good movement off the ball to provide a threat. However, that dissipated as the game went on as he is still searching for consistency.
Morgan Rogers, 6.5 – Looked our biggest threat again with his movement and ability to find space in good areas, but he couldn’t add a decisive touch to his play to make the difference. Needs support from those around him though to take some of that responsibility off his shoulders.
Emiliano Buendia, 6 – Went close with an effort in the first half and worked tirelessly off the ball, but there wasn’t enough quality in that area of the pitch from us and so we need more from him moving forward.
Ollie Watkins, 5.5 – Another real struggle for Villa’s frontman, as he continues to look short of full fitness. Offered no real threat in front of goal, struggled with his hold-up play and so we lacked a focal point and target up top to build around and link things together.
Substitutes:
Ross Barkley, 6.5 – Important contribution in the latter stages and it’s imperative that he stays fit, keeps getting minutes and improves. Can help tactically to add rhythm and quality to our build-up play and so it was good to see him come on and make a positive impact.
Leon Bailey, 6.5 – Struggled in one-on-one situations in terms of his beating his man, but he stretched the pitch and gave us a different dynamic in attack. Delivered a brilliant ball into the box that led to the goal, and so hopefully he can keep building momentum and confidence.
Alysson, 6.5 – Great to see him finally make his debut, and although he was asked to play out on the left flank, he looked tidy in possession and gave us an outlet down that side of the pitch while working hard out of possession too.
Tammy Abraham, 6 – Fresh legs and impetus in the final third, and there is a strong case that he should start this weekend with Watkins struggling. Should have been awarded a penalty just before the goal after being shoved while trying to strike the ball in the box, but apparently it wasn’t adjudged to be a foul by VAR.
Victor Lindelof, N/A
