Aston Villa secured a 2-1 win over Wycombe Wanderers in the Carabao Cup, with goals from Emiliano Buendia and Jhon Duran booking our spot in the next round.
It was a cagey contest in the first half, as Villa struggled to find any rhythm in our play and lacked inventiveness in attacking areas to make the difference.
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Fortunately, we eventually found a breakthrough through a brilliant looping header from Buendia, before Duran tucked away his penalty to double our lead late on and seal the win.
The hosts did bag a late consolation goal, but Villa ultimately advance and keep our hopes of winning silverware this season through this competition alive.
Aston Villa player ratings vs Wycombe:
Joe Gauci, 8 – Couple of shaky moments, but he produced some important saves throughout the game and showed positivity in the way in which he wanted to command his box. As far as debuts go, it was a decent showing from the Australian shot-stopper.
Kosta Nedeljkovic, 7 – A solid shift in both phases of the game, as although he was limited going forward, he did provide support when possible while defending diligently when called upon down our right side.
Lamare Bogarde, 7 – Good display as he was shifted inside to centre-half for this one to showcase his versatility. Should have done better to prevent the late goal we conceded, but a positive effort.
Sil Swinkels, 7 – Similar to Bogarde in that they defended well throughout to limit Wycombe’s threat, but was caught out at times both in and out of possession, and will look back at the goal and think he could have done better.
Ian Maatsen, 7.5 – Positive from the Dutchman as he got an opportunity to get minutes and stake his claim for a starting spot, and he’s certainly given Unai Emery something to think about. Adds energy, athleticism and quality both defensively and going forward.
Amadou Onana, 7 – An important physical presence in midfield again to give us a foothold and control early on. Limited influence in general, but played his part in the win.
Ross Barkley, 7 – Gave possession away cheaply a couple of times which could have been punished, but those errors aside, he was crucial in keeping us ticking and building our play up through midfield.
Leon Bailey, 7 – Started really brightly as he looked a threat in possession and running at defenders, but his impact dissipated as the game went on with Villa struggling to put anything together. Good run-out for him though as he steps things up after his injury.
Emiliano Buendia, 8 – Showed his class at times with his ability to link our play between midfield and attack, dropping into pockets of space to pull the strings. Still a process for him as he gets back to his best after his injury, but produced a fantastic header for his goal to break the deadlock and was full of pride after wearing the captain’s armband.
Kadan Young, 7 – Produced the cross for Buendia’s goal, albeit with the help of a deflection, but that was a key moment in the game and he delivered some quality out wide. Stifled in the first half, but Villa began to stretch the pitch and enjoy more success, in part thanks to Young.
Jhon Duran, 8 – His movement was excellent early on to create openings and pose a threat to the Wycombe backline. As Villa started to struggle though, the service dried up, but he eventually got on the scoresheet again with a well-taken penalty, having won the spot-kick himself.
Substitutes:
Aidan Borland, 6 – Good experience for the youngster to get minutes at senior level, looked tidy in possession at times to make a positive impression.
Jacob Ramsey, 6.5 – Added fresh impetus in the second half and extra quality, good run-out for him to keep his fitness ticking over and improving.
Ben Broggio, N/A
Travis Patterson, N/A
Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba, N/A
