Aston Villa suffered a first defeat in 11 Premier League games as we fell to a 1-0 loss at Man Utd on Sunday through a first-half goal from Bruno Fernandes.
In a disappointing setback for our hopes of securing European football for next season, Villa struggled throughout as we lacked quality and composure in possession to produce a real threat.
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Having conceded a poor goal in a below-par first-half display, there was a response after the break as Unai Emery tried to make tweaks to influence the game, but we couldn’t convert some big moments in the second half and ultimately return home empty-handed.
There is undoubtedly an element of fatigue creeping into our performances now as we’re lacking the same level of intensity and tempo in our play both on and off the ball, and so it’s going to take a big effort to bounce back at Wolves next weekend.
Aston Villa player ratings vs Man Utd:
Emi Martinez, 7 – Produced some key saves and timed his runs off his line well to sweep up danger. Did get a strong hand to Rashford’s initial shot, but will perhaps be disappointed that he didn’t do better to prevent Fernandes getting a chance on the follow up.
Ashley Young, 6 – Defended resolutely up against Sancho as he limited his influence on the game for the most part, but struggled to offer much beyond that to turn the tide in that battle and force his man to go the other way and defend himself.
Ezri Konsa, 6 – With Villa playing a high line it was always going to be a tricky balancing act to get the offside trap consistently right. While we started well, we also got caught out on several occasions and that included for the decisive moment in the game.
Tyrone Mings, 6.5 – Had similar issues to Konsa with dealing with Utd’s threat from balls over the top, but looked a little more assured in dealing with it on his side and was more composed in possession.
Alex Moreno, 6 – Forced De Gea into an important save in the first half but will perhaps feel he should have done better. Always an attacking outlet down the left flank, but couldn’t provide that decisive final ball.
John McGinn, 7 – A battling performance from the Villa captain as he drove forward when possible to give us an attacking threat, while he was combative off the ball in a scrappy game in midfield.
Leander Dendoncker, 6 – Struggled in this one as we lacked a physicality and control in midfield. Defended well at times and kept things simple in possession, but United were able to pop it around us too easily and we needed to impose ourselves better in the middle of the pitch.
Douglas Luiz, 6 – Too quiet in this one as we missed his influence on the game to give us control in possession. Was tidy with his passing for the most part, but there were constantly big gaps between our lines and we didn’t get a foothold in midfield for long periods.
Jacob Ramsey, 6 – Offered a threat on occasion with his ability to turn and run with the ball at pace, but was dispossessed on several occasions too which led to dangerous situations for our defence. Need him to be more clinical in and around the box.
Emiliano Buendia, 5 – Gave possession away so many times, and often not even while trying to play an incisive pass. Poor display and there will be no one more frustrated than him as we need more creativity and quality from him in that position to carve out openings in a tight game.
Ollie Watkins, 5 – Lacked service on which he could offer a real threat, but he takes a share of that responsibility too as he didn’t show a great deal of composure or strength in our build-up play. As with many in the side currently, possibly struggling with tiredness as we’re not as sharp in the final third as we were a few weeks ago.
Substitutes:
Bertrand Traoré, 5 – Didn’t offer a lot aside from winning a couple of free-kicks.
Calum Chambers, 5 – Shored things up at right-back with fresh legs but limited in what he adds to the team offensively.
Lucas Digne, 5 – Couldn’t really make a big difference to our play down that side as we searched for an equaliser.
Jhon Duran, 5 – Worked hard but struggled to have a positive influence in the latter stages.