Aston Villa suffered a 1-0 defeat at Brighton on Sunday, as we missed the opportunity to take a big step towards Champions League qualification.
A late penalty for the hosts sealed their win, but in truth, Villa were poor throughout and rarely threatened as we look to be running out of steam.
READ MORE: Villa tipped to make key signing, close in on free transfer
Injuries and the subsequent lack of depth is making it much more difficult for the players and Unai Emery, and so it’s going to take a big effort from those available to not only keep our European hopes alive in midweek, but to also finish the job and secure fourth place in the final two games of the Premier League campaign.
Focus will now switch to our trip to Olympiacos, but there will be concern over what we’ve got left after what has been a gruelling season, with a clear drop off in our energy and quality levels on Sunday.
Aston Villa player ratings vs Brighton:
Robin Olsen, 8.5 – Made two exceptional saves to keep it goalless and was so unfortunate after initially saving Joao Pedro’s penalty. Did his part today to give us the best possible chance to come away with a positive result.
Ezri Konsa, 5.5 – A difficult afternoon up against Simon Adingra. Was beaten by movement and pace on multiple occasions before eventually giving away the late penalty that consigned us to a defeat.
Diego Carlos, 6.5 – An important presence in the box as he cleared danger a number of times and offered composure in possession. Perhaps not effective enough though in our build-up play as we struggled to create further up the pitch.
Pau Torres, 6.5 – Similar story to his defensive partner, as he was assured and in control on the ball to give us a calm head at the back. Made one crucial intervention in the second half to deny Brighton a big chance, and so was important to have him back in the side.
Lucas Digne, 6 – Worked hard to get up and down the left flank, and while he was resilient defensively, didn’t offer much quality in advanced areas to give us a threat down the left side.
Leon Bailey, 6 – Didn’t seem as effective or impactful on the left side having been forced to switch across after the injury to Morgan Rogers. With his knee heavily strapped, he looks to be really struggling with fatigue too and so he wasn’t able to be his usual threat.
John McGinn, 6 – Will never be able to fault or question his effort and determination, but he’s another that looks low on energy. Showed good strength and composure at times to give us rhythm and fluidity through the middle, but wasn’t consistent or influential enough.
Douglas Luiz, 6 – Showed glimpses of better play at times, but still struggling to rediscover his best form. The Brazilian international is still not able to dictate tempo and control proceedings in the way that he was doing so effectively earlier in the season.
Morgan Rogers, N/A – Another big injury blow for Villa as he was forced off after just 26 minutes. Hopefully it isn’t a serious issue as he has been in such great form in recent weeks.
Moussa Diaby, 5 – A quiet afternoon for the Frenchman, as he wasn’t able to offer a consistent threat in the final third. That is partly down to our inability to control the game and build sustained pressure, but he must also show more quality to go with his effort.
Ollie Watkins, 6 – Worked hard in terms of his movement and attempts to link play together. However, he’s another one that looks tired as his first touch was poor as it couldn’t make it stick, while he also looked hesitant on the ball when attacking in the final third at times too.
Substitutes:
Matty Cash, 6 – Injected some energy and quality down the right side in a more advanced role and went close with an effort from distance.
Jhon Duran, 5 – Offered a focal point up top in the latter stages but couldn’t help us show more of a threat in front of goal.
Calum Chambers, N/A
Alex Moreno, N/A
