Aston Villa were held to a 2-2 draw at Ipswich Town on Sunday, despite coming from behind to take the lead in the first half at Portman Road.
Goals from Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins turned the game on its head after we fell behind early on, but we were unable to then protect our lead as the hosts bagged a second-half equaliser to secure a share of the spoils.
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It was a disappointing performance on the whole from Villa, as having impressively overcome another deficit, we didn’t kick on from that point and kill off the game to pick up another three points.
Instead, our tempo dropped, and that in turn allowed Ipswich to come back into it and pose a threat, and with our defensive deficiencies continuing to be a problem, it was two points dropped this weekend.
Aston Villa player ratings vs Ipswich:
Emiliano Martinez, 7 – Will be disappointed he didn’t do better to prevent Ipswich’s opener, but he went on to make up for it with two vital saves in the first half. His distribution and commanding of his box were both impressive.
Ezri Konsa, 5 – It’s pivotal that Villa get Matty Cash back in full training next week and back in the starting XI soon. The option to play Konsa at right-back is a useful one to have and it has produced excellent results at times, but it’s not getting the best of him or our backline as a unit. Ipswich took advantage of our vulnerability down that flank time and time again.
Diego Carlos, 5 – Continues to look like the weak link at the back. Last weekend, his errant pass led to Wolves’ goal, and after playing Ipswich onside in the build-up to their equaliser, he was beaten far too easily by Delap in the box as he lost balance and spun the wrong way. Emery has a headache in that area as he is hesitant to start Kosta Nedeljkovic at right-back while Cash is out.
Pau Torres, 6 – Was efficient in possession as always, but had a tough afternoon defensively. Produced a big block late on, but Villa’s backline is looking vulnerable as our wait for a clean sheet goes on.
Lucas Digne, 6 – Put in a decent shift. The pick of our defenders on a poor day, as he continues to keep Ian Maatsen out of the team by being a steady presence on that side.
Amadou Onana, 6 – Disrupted the opposition’s play well at times and regained possession to give us a foothold in midfield, but Villa lacked control in the second half which led to our problems. Having enjoyed good spells of possession prior to that, it was disappointing to see us not take advantage and we need more from our Belgian duo in the heart of the side.
Youri Tielemans, 6 – A slight drop off from the high standards we’ve seen from him so far this season as he didn’t appear to be as influential in our play. Kept possession ticking over and controlled play and tempo for us, but we needed more in midfield to take the sting out of the game when under pressure and to build our own sustained threat in the latter stages.
Leon Bailey, 6.5 – A relatively quiet game for the Villa winger, but he showed good work ethic and desire on and off the ball, while his brilliant cross was headed home by Watkins to put us ahead.
Morgan Rogers, 7 – Looked a threat with his ball-carrying ability once again, showing strength, pace and technical ability to cause problems. Produced a great finish to open his account in the Premier League this season.
Jacob Ramsey, 6 – Did his part in terms of our defensive structure and work on that flank, but couldn’t make a decisive impact on the game from an attacking sense as he was kept under wraps for the most part.
Ollie Watkins, 7 – Starting to look fitter, sharper and more decisive. Bagged another goal with a nice headed finish, but he looks more effective in the way in which he’s leading the line and linking our play up. Positive signs.
Substitutes:
Jhon Duran, 6 – Worked hard out of possession to give us more presence and pressure up top, but couldn’t repeat his usual magic off the bench in this game to make a game-winning impact.
Jaden Philogene, 5 – Won a couple of fouls and gave us a freshness on the right side in the latter stages, but couldn’t have much of a direct influence on proceedings.
Ian Maatsen, N/A
Ross Barkley, N/A
Emiliano Buendia, N/A
