Aston Villa secured a 2-0 win over Wolves on Saturday evening, with goals from Moussa Diaby and Ezri Konsa sealing the three points.
With our ongoing pursuit of Champions League qualification, it was a crucial win as we moved back into fourth place in the Premier League table, albeit Tottenham still have a game in hand.
READ MORE: Long-term Villa injury absentee continues to make promising progress
Villa were slow to get going in the early stages though as Wolves dominated possession and posed a threat, but we improved as the game went on and began to take control.
Emi Martinez produced a pivotal early save before Diaby struck a superb effort to break the deadlock, and as we continued to improve and look more assured in the second half, Konsa added a second to make the win safe.
Aston Villa player ratings vs Wolves:
Emi Martinez, 8.5 – Didn’t have a great deal to do, but when we needed him to produce a decisive moment, he delivered as he so often does with a fundamental early save to deny Ait-Nouri. Difference-maker yet again.
Ezri Konsa, 8 – Solid defensive display as Wolves didn’t have much joy down that flank, and he even managed to get forward and chip in a dangerous delivery that found the back of the net to secure the win. Icing on the cake in a brilliant week for him.
Diego Carlos, 7 – Physically imposing and composed in possession, the Brazilian centre-half did an important job in the backline to keep Wolves’ attacking players quiet.
Pau Torres, 7 – Similar to Carlos in that he was important in both phases of the game. Made a couple of early mistakes with his passing, but started to find his rhythm and accuracy as the game went on.
Alex Moreno, 6 – Looks short of confidence at the moment, as despite getting into dangerous areas in advanced positions to be a threat, his final ball was poor. Looked vulnerable defensively at times too.
Leon Bailey, 7 – Continues to provide a spark with his pace and direct running in the final third. Although he wasn’t as influential as he has been in recent months, he still produced the pass that eventually found Diaby for our opening goal.
Youri Tielemans, 7 – Lost possession a few times in dangerous situations, but recovered well and played some delightful passes forward too which threatened to cut Wolves open. Will need to be sharper and more accurate against Man City in midweek.
Douglas Luiz, 7 – Began to control proceedings for us as it went on as his influence grew, while both he and Tielemans imposed themselves well at times to give us a presence in midfield. Again though, the pair will have to step it up a gear or two next time out against the toughest of opposition.
Morgan Rogers, 7 – Looked a real handful with his direct running from deeper positions as he broke away from pressure well to provide a threat in transition. Positive performance for him to build on as he looks for an end product to go with it.
Moussa Diaby, 8 – Stunning strike to break the deadlock as his first-time effort found the back of the net to give us an all-important lead. Starting to deliver consistently now as he’s finding form in the most crucial period.
Ollie Watkins, 6 – Replaced at half-time as he emerged as an injury scare. Limited impact in this one, but it’s hoped that he hasn’t sustained a serious setback as Emery confirmed after the match that it was a hamstring issue.
Substitutes:
Jhon Duran, 6.5 – There was a long wait for his first touch after coming on at half-time, but he eventually started to apply pressure and play an important role in our ability to win possession back in dangerous areas to cause Wolves problems.
Nicolo Zaniolo, 7 – Made a really positive impact. Instrumental in the build-up to our second goal and showed desire and determination in the latter stages to help us secure the win.
Lucas Digne, 6 – Added a composed presence on the left flank and he’ll potentially be in line to start on Wednesday now with Moreno struggling to find his best form.
Tim Iroegbunam, N/A
Kaine Kesler-Hayden, N/A – Great to see him get on for his senior league debut, and he’ll hopefully get more appearances in the coming months.
