Aston Villa swept aside Sheffield Utd on Saturday evening, putting in a clinical and ruthless performance in a 5-0 win at Bramall Lane.
Goals from John McGinn, Ollie Watkins, Leon Bailey, Youri Tielemans and Alex Moreno secured all three points, with Villa going 4-0 up in the opening half hour.
READ MORE: Why new Villa signing has opportunity to make immediate impact
The hosts had a late goal ruled out for offside as we had the added bonus of registering a clean sheet too, and the victory moves us back into the top four in the Premier League.
After a dip in form in recent weeks, this was exactly the response that Unai Emery would have been looking for from his players, as we got back on track and hopefully boosted our confidence to get back to playing our best football on a consistent basis.
Aston Villa player ratings vs Sheffield Utd:
Emi Martinez, 8 – Made a brilliant double save in the second half to keep our clean sheet intact, which was a big boost for our backline after the disappointment in midweek. Patient and accurate with his distribution throughout.
Ezri Konsa, 8 – Struggled in the early stages with the hosts targeting his side over the top, but settled into the game as it went on and put in a solid shift at right-back.
Diego Carlos, 8 – Physically imposing both in open play and on set-pieces, composed in possession. A positive outing on his return to the Villa XI.
Clement Lenglet, 8 – Strong defensively and important with his passing ability to keep possession ticking for us. Made another stand-out block in the latter stages to protect our clean sheet.
Alex Moreno, 8 – Started to look like his old self pre-injury again in this one, getting forward often and providing a threat down our left flank. Produced a brilliant finish for his goal too.
Leon Bailey, 8.5 – Replaced in the second half to rest, but was superb in the opening hour. Stunning strike for his goal and was a constant headache for the Sheffield Utd defence with his pace and running with the ball.
Boubacar Kamara, 8 – Fundamental as always in breaking up the opposition’s play in the midfield battle and giving us a foothold to control the tempo of the encounter.
Douglas Luiz, 8.5 – His ball through for Watkins’ goal was sublime, and he was a classy presence in the heart of our play to create openings and find holes in the Sheffield Utd defence before being replaced at the break.
John McGinn, 8 – Physical, tenacious and energetic in midfield, he showed great desire to follow up the initial chance to break the deadlock. A leading performance from the Villa skipper to set the tone.
Youri Tielemans, 8 – Wonderful strike for his goal, having gone close just moments before that too. Restored back to a No.10 role more centrally, and looked so much more comfortable and effective in both phases as he pressed well and was key in our build-up play.
Ollie Watkins, 9 – Brilliant run and finish for his goal, and provided two assists in a superb all-round performance. That’s now 11 goals and 10 assists in the Premier League this season, as he continues to play an integral part in our progress and success. POTM.
Substitutes:
Jacob Ramsey, 6 – Good to see him get on and get a solid run out as he continues to work on his fitness and form, hopefully will get back to his best soon.
Matty Cash, 6 – Added fresh legs and energy in the latter stages to help us get over the line and protect our clean sheet.
Moussa Diaby, 7 – A positive appearance off the bench as he was more direct and looked confident taking on his man. Benefitted from playing in a wider role, which is something Emery might go with more often.
Tim Iroegbunam, 6 – Slotted in well in midfield to keep us ticking over and added a physical presence to help maintain our control.
Morgan Rogers, N/A – Good to see him get on the pitch for his debut, but will be disappointed he didn’t do better with a big chance to open his account immediately.