Aston Villa battled back to secure a 3-1 win over Wolves on Saturday, as we made it four wins in our opening five games of the Premier League campaign.
Goals from Ollie Watkins, Ezri Konsa and Jhon Duran turned things around for us in the second half, after the visitors took the lead before the break and were the better side in the opening 45 minutes.
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However, Villa were much-improved after the interval, aided by key changes made by Unai Emery, and ultimately our quality and resilience shone through as we produced another comeback win and secured all three points.
After a disappointing first half collectively, there were several impressive individual efforts to help inspire our turnaround, while those who were introduced off the bench were once again key to the outcome.
Aston Villa player ratings vs Wolves:
Emiliano Martinez, 7 – Had little chance with the goal as it was a top finish and he was left exposed by the defensive mistake, but he made a couple of important saves over the course of the game to ensure our deficit didn’t get worse, while his distribution was spot on for the most part.
Ezri Konsa, 8 – Still not entirely convinced that it gets the best out of him, or the team, when he is deployed at right-back, but he defended diligently, was composed in possession and scored the all-important second goal to put us ahead.
Diego Carlos, 5.5 – Made the glaring error that led to Wolves’ goal, and unfortunately it does seem as though he has that habit in him. That said, he recovered well and defended strongly thereafter to ensure we didn’t slip further behind.
Pau Torres, 7.5 – Still vulnerable to the ball over the top and into the channel, but he was crucial in us keeping our composure and continuing to play our way out of defence to build attacks and sustained pressure.
Lucas Digne, 6 – Potentially picked up a knock after a heavy challenge in the first half, and although it was a steady performance in both phases, didn’t do much particularly of note.
Amadou Onana, 6.5 – Imposed himself well defensively to break up Wolves’ play at times and give us physical presence in the midfield battle, but struggled to make a positive impact in possession as we didn’t have much control in the first half and the change in that department was critical.
Youri Tielemans, 7.5 – Another important shift despite being limited by Wolves, as he continued to keep us ticking in deeper areas and build our pressure, before whipping in a superb delivery to find Konsa for our second goal. That’s his third assist of the season in just six games.
John McGinn, 6 – Suffered a hamstring injury and had to come off at half-time which will be a real concern in terms of how long he might be out for. Battled hard but we did struggle to gain control in the first half.
Morgan Rogers, 8 – Excellent shift as although he was perhaps guilty of being a bit wasteful again in the opening hour, he produced two assists to get Watkins and Duran on the scoresheet, and that is huge for him after a frustrating start to the season where he’s been brilliant, but has lacked that clinical edge in the final third.
Jacob Ramsey, 6 – Ramsey turning out of pressure and breaking into space is inevitable at this point as he does it so effectively, but after a bright-ish start to the game, couldn’t have the desired impact.
Ollie Watkins, 7.5 – Superb movement off the ball to create the opening for his goal, and although he was slightly fortunate with the deflection, bagged another one as he finds form. Worked tirelessly up top, but we did struggle to provide him with any real service in the opening 45 minutes.
Substitutes:
Ian Maatsen, 7 – Really positive impact down our left flank in the second half as he provided us with width to stretch the pitch and was an attacking outlet throughout. The Dutchman is surely pushing for a starting spot in our upcoming games.
Leon Bailey, 7 – Great to have back the crucial dynamic he brings to the team with his ability to take players on and give us width, and so it was a real boost to see him return from injury to start finding some form again.
Jhon Duran, 7.5 – While he was integral in the lead-up to our equaliser by battling for the ball in the final third, he capped it off with yet another goal off the bench as he’s making a wonderful contribution so far this season.
Ross Barkley, 7.5 – Showcased his quality and influence again as by adding him to the midfield alongside Tielemans, we dictated tempo and created wave after wave of pressure to eventually make Wolves break. Will also be in line for a start next week as he’s made a strong case for it now.
Emiliano Buendia, N/A
