Aston Villa secured a 1-0 win over Wolves on Sunday as our impressive form continues and temporarily at least, moves us up to third place in the Premier League table.
It was a scrappy encounter with the visitors showing plenty of aggression and intensity which troubled Villa, while we also continued to struggle to create clear-cut opportunities.
Further, Emiliano Martinez was called into action on multiple occasions and made a string of fantastic saves to help us on our way to all three points, and it was Boubacar Kamara’s stunning strike from distance that was all that ultimately split the two sides.
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Villa now prepare to face Brighton in midweek, as we look to continue to improve a run of form which has seen us win 11 of our last 13 games across all competitions.
Aston Villa player ratings vs Wolves:
Emiliano Martinez, 8 – Decisive display, as he made multiple top-class saves to preserve our clean sheet and ultimately help us see out the victory. His distribution was excellent at times too, and so he played a big part in picking up these three points.
Matty Cash, 7 – Solid shift as he defended diligently when needed and pushed forward on occasion too and provided a threat with his deliveries into the box.
Ezri Konsa, 7 – Defensively sound for the most part as although Wolves threatened, he marshalled the backline well and contributed to our clean sheet, which in turn was the foundation for our win.
Pau Torres, 7 – Similarly to Konsa, the pair put in another strong defensive display as a pairing and coupled with his composure in possession and improved ability to win physical duels, he put in a strong effort.
Lucas Digne, 6.5 – Tchatchoua gave him problems with his pace in behind and Villa nearly got punished. That would have been a clear area of analysis prior to the game, but we didn’t deal with that threat on the right flank particularly well. That said, he stuck to his task and put in a committed performance to make his contribution in our win.
Boubacar Kamara, 8 – Stunning strike to secure the win for us. Looked a bit lethargic at times as we struggled to impose ourselves and really drive forward despite bossing possession for periods, but his goal was the decisive moment in the game and what a finish it was.
Youri Tielemans, 7 – Continuing to get back up to speed and rediscovering his best form. He showed his class at times with his ability to retain possession and break the lines with an incisive pass, but he’s continuing to improve with playing time after his injury.
John McGinn, 7.5 – Battled hard throughout in a real captain’s performance. Showed tenacity and grit out of possession but drove forward and won corners to build pressure and get the crowd going too. Provided the assist for Kamara’s goal with a well executed pass into his path.
Morgan Rogers, 6.5 – Had his moments but couldn’t provide the creative quality needed in the final third or in front of goal to make a bigger impact on the game as we struggled to create openings in open play.
Emiliano Buendia, 6 – Disappointing outing for the Argentine playmaker this weekend as he was replaced early in the second half. Found space and got into good positions, but wasn’t clinical or accurate enough with his play on the ball to make the difference.
Donyell Malen, 6.5 – Rewarded for his recent form with a rare Premier League start, but much like Ollie Watkins, he struggled to have a big influence on the game with a lack of service while leading our line. Showed good movement and intent, but couldn’t continue his fine goalscoring form in recent weeks.
Substitutes:
Ollie Watkins, 6 – Arguably the right decision to take him out of the starting line-up as he continues to struggle in front of goal, but looked hesitant and lost at times when holding onto possession and trying to bring teammates into the game in the latter stages. Hopefully he will look a lot sharper against Brighton in midweek.
Ross Barkley, N/A – Such a shame to see him forced off with a fresh injury issue shortly after coming on, and it’s hoped that it isn’t anything serious that will sideline him for an extended period now.
Amadou Onana, N/A
Jadon Sancho, N/A
Lamare Bogarde, N/A