Aston Villa came from behind to secure a 2-1 win over Leeds United on Sunday, with a double from Morgan Rogers in the second half sealing all three points.
Villa were poor in the opening 45 minutes as we struggled to cope with the aggression and intensity from Leeds, while we lacked any real quality in possession in what was a scrappy and stop-start first half.
Fortunately, things improved immediately after the interval as Donyell Malen made an instant impact to help Rogers draw us level, and that in turn gave us the confidence and foundation to kick on and build more pressure.
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It remained an open game at times with the hosts having chances of their own, including an equaliser that was ruled out due to handball, but it was Rogers who emerged as the match-winner as he produced a superb free-kick to put us ahead and register his second goal of the encounter.
Unai Emery will know that his side must be better than what we showed in the first half, but the Villa boss will be delighted with the response after the break and securing three points, which at the time of writing, moves us up to fourth place in the Premier League table.
Aston Villa player ratings vs Leeds:
Emiliano Martinez, 6.5 – Admittedly, he should have been stronger for the Leeds goal, but it looked a foul to me as he was prevented from jumping to reach the ball. Distribution was off at times too, but he produced a couple of big saves, including one late on to help us see out the win.
Matty Cash, 7 – Another solid shift from Villa’s right-back, as he defended diligently throughout in difficult conditions while also pushing forward when possible too.
Ezri Konsa, 7 – Top performance again. Unfortunate with the goal as his attempted clearance rebounded in, but he was strong defensively from that point onwards and was composed and calm in possession.
Pau Torres, 6.5 – Wasn’t at his best with the ball at his feet in this one as he gave possession away cheaply on a few occasions with misdirected passes. Did well defensively for the most part though.
Lucas Digne, 6 – Replaced at half-time. Was a steady presence in the opening 45 minutes, but Villa needed more energy and an injection of pace and intent down that left side which Ian Maatsen duly provided.
Boubacar Kamara, 7 – Looked a little off the pace in the first half which contributed to our struggles to control and dominate the game, but improved in the second half along with his teammates to help us impose ourselves more effectively.
Youri Tielemans, 7 – Great to have him back in the starting line-up, and although he was still getting back up to speed, he produced an important display with his tenacity off the ball and composure and quality in possession, particularly after the interval as we started to dictate proceedings a little more.
John McGinn, 6 – Battled hard in trying to give us a foothold in the game and went close with a curled effort that went just over the bar in the second half. Replaced in the latter stages but played his part in pushing us back into the contest.
Emiliano Buendia, 6 – Struggled in this one as although he found pockets of space and tried to play decisive passes, they didn’t come off. Also replaced at half-time as Emery looked for something different in the final third.
Morgan Rogers, 9 – Villa’s match-winner. Showed quality touches at times but balanced that with losing possession on occasion too. However, he emerged as our hero after producing a deft finish for his first, before slotting home a superb free-kick to secure all three points. Decisive MOTM and great to see him back in decisive form consistently.
Ollie Watkins, 6 – His struggles in front of goal continue unfortunately, as he didn’t look sharp enough in key moments. Went close with an effort from distance, but while he made smart runs, he couldn’t produce an end-product and missed out on some chances. Continues to lead the line well, but he will be desperate to end his goal struggles.
Substitutes:
Donyell Malen, 7.5 – Excellent off the bench in the second half. Provided the assist for Rogers’ first goal, and he was a real headache for the Leeds backline thereafter with his movement, intent and goal threat.
Ian Maatsen, 6.5 – Freshened things up for us on the left flank after coming on, as he did well in both phases without necessarily making a decisive contribution.
Jadon Sancho, 6 – Played his part in helping us see out the win by retaining possession and moving us up the pitch.
Ross Barkley, 6.5 – Positive impact as he helped steady the ship in the latter stages to secure the win. Won the free-kick that Rogers scored from and hopefully he’s continuing to build momentum.
Lamare Bogarde, N/A