Aston Villa finally got back to winning ways in the Premier League on Sunday with a much-needed 3-1 victory over Fulham.
An early header from Raul Jimenez put the visitors ahead and added to our concern and anxiety in the opening stages, but a brilliant finish from Ollie Watkins ensured that we went into the break level.
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Villa came storming out of the blocks in the second half with a quick-fire double from John McGinn and Emiliano Buendia turning the game around in our favour and securing three crucial points as we made it back-to-back wins after seeing off Bologna in the Europa League in midweek.
It’s hoped that we’re now building confidence and momentum to keep this run going, as although we certainly need to improve still, this will go a long way in alleviating pressure and tension after a poor start to the season.
Aston Villa player ratings vs Fulham:
Emiliano Martinez, 7 – Almost made a costly mistake after surrendering possession in his own box, but fortunately Konsa was on hand to clear off the line. That moment aside, commanded his box well and was alert to danger when called upon.
Matty Cash, 7 – Another solid shift from the Villa right-back, as he defended diligently and pushed up when he could to stretch the pitch. Perhaps still not enough of an attacking threat on a consistent basis, but doing an important job for the team as we battle through a rough patch.
Ezri Konsa, 7.5 – Made a vital clearance off the line to keep Fulham at bay, and it was another controlled and strong defensive display from the centre-half as he marshalled our backline well throughout.
Tyrone Mings, N/A – Hopefully his injury isn’t anything serious having been forced off early on.
Lucas Digne, 6.5 – Played a key ball over the top to find Watkins for his goal, but that contribution aside, it was a decent enough effort from the Frenchman without ever really making a significant difference in either phase of the game.
Lamare Bogarde, 6.5 – Was marking Jimenez for the goal from the corner and lost him in the box, while he got turned away from on a couple of occasions as Fulham broke at our backline. However, he’s still learning in that role and he’s balancing those aspects with positives too as he offered a strong defensive presence at times to shield our back four.
John McGinn, 8 – Missed a big chance early on to get us back into the game, but continued to lead by example with his energy and determination to give us control and a foothold. Bagged his second goal in as many games with a brilliant finish and he has stood up when needed to help drag us out of a difficult period.
Evann Guessand, 6.5 – Another big shift on the right side as he worked tirelessly in and out of possession. Showed glimpses of his quality to get away from his marker, but he’s just missing the end product to go with that to make a more telling impact in games.
Harvey Elliott, 6 – A tidy shift in the No.10 role as he kept things ticking for us at times, but as he continues to adapt and integrate into the team, Emery opted to replace him at half-time for a bigger influence from Buendia.
Morgan Rogers, 6.5 – Better from the Villa attacking ace as he showed more composure and quality in possession compared to previous games. Still not at his best but that will take time, and so it was important to see improvements from him today as he linked play more effectively while offering more of a threat.
Ollie Watkins, 8 – A superb finish for his goal as he produced a controlled lob over Bernd Leno to end his drought. Struggled to get into the game again though with a lack of quality service and so was limited, but his running off the ball was critical to give us a more direct threat and outlet, while he was instrumental for our third goal too.
Substitutes:
Pau Torres, 7.5 – The Spaniard made a crucial difference at the back after coming on to replace the injured Mings, as his composure and ability to play an intricate pass into midfield helped us find some rhythm. He stood up well defensively too up against the physicality and pace of Adama Traore, and so he’ll hope he’s done enough now to keep his spot in the starting line-up.
Emiliano Buendia, 8 – Brilliant impact in the second half. Provided the pass to set McGinn off for his goal before bagging our third himself as he found space in the box and applied the finish. His energy in the way he pressed high up the pitch was also excellent as we nullified Fulham’s threat more effectively, and so it was great to see him play a key role.
Boubacar Kamara, 7 – Helped us protect our lead with his positional intelligence to snuff out danger in the latter stages.
Victor Lindelof, N/A
Donyell Malen, N/A
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