Aston Villa grabbed a 1-1 draw against Wolves on Wednesday night, with substitute Danny Ings scoring our all-important equaliser.
Villa were poor in the opening 45 minutes as we were far too passive and couldn’t get anything going, and combined with a good performance from our opponents, it led to a frustrating first half devoid of any quality on our part.
READ MORE: Aston Villa injury news: Key figure set to miss two games after setback
Fortunately, things improved gradually in the second half and Ings eventually got us back on level terms to set up an enthralling end to the game.
However, Leon Bailey couldn’t convert a huge opportunity in injury time to win it, and although there was real disappointment that we didn’t somehow come away with all three points, given the way the game went, it was a decent point gained as we look to now raise the standard of our performance again starting at the weekend.
Aston Villa player ratings vs Wolves:
Emi Martinez, 7 – Great to have him back between the posts as he produced some key saves throughout. Little he could have done about the goal, and so he can be pleased with his influence on his return to the starting XI.
Ashley Young, 5 – Replaced at half-time by Emery as he was disappointing in the opening 45 minutes. There was a question mark over him starting two games in four days and that seemed to be a factor, but he struggled along with the rest of the team in the first half to get a foothold in the encounter.
Ezri Konsa, 6.5 – Made a crucial clearance on a goal-bound effort and defended resolutely throughout. Struggled at times to contain Wolves along with the rest of the defensive unit though before we improved as a team heading into the latter stages.
Tyrone Mings, 7 – Similar to Konsa in that he stepped in and made important interventions as we came under pressure. Provided a brilliant assist as he found Ings with a ball over the top as he went on to score our equaliser. Big moment in the game.
Lucas Digne, 6 – An ok shift without ever really doing enough, particularly in possession. Struggled to get to grips with Wolves, but that went for the entire team in the first half.
Matty Cash, 6 – Was an important call to play him in a more advanced role on the right side, and it didn’t really work. Seemed to have issues communicating with Young at times when defending, and didn’t really have much of an influence in possession. Looked more comfortable when switching back to right-back after the break.
Boubacar Kamara, 6 – Battled hard but was often outnumbered in midfield as we struggled to get control of the game and dictate possession. That’s an aspect of the performance that Emery will look at no doubt, as we weren’t able to get a foothold as we have done in previous performances. Still, Bouba was a presence in the middle for us.
Douglas Luiz, 5 – Couldn’t influence the game in the way we’ve seen him do so in recent outings, and that in turn contributed to our struggles until the latter stages. Whether the knock he suffered against Spurs was a factor or not, it’s hoped he can return to his top form next week as it makes a big difference to our overall play.
Emiliano Buendia, 5 – Was unable to follow up his goal last time out, as he generally struggled to have a positive influence on our attacking play in the final third. As noted above, the fact that we struggled to even keep possession hurt him and our attacking players, and while he battled hard off the ball, he couldn’t do enough to hurt Wolves.
Leon Bailey, 5 – Inconsolable at the end as he missed a huge chance to win it in injury time. Looked devastated as he did all the hard work and messed up the finish. Showed a threat at times with his pace and direct running, but couldn’t make that decisive contribution as he also sliced an early chance wide when he should have done better.
Ollie Watkins, 5 – Found it a lot more difficult in this one to hold up the ball and bring others into play. Struggled with the physical nature of the battle with the Wolves centre-halves and so wasn’t as effective with his movement off the ball. Again, a similar story as noted above, with not enough Villa possession, he suffered as a result too.
Substitutes:
Philippe Coutinho, 5 – Decent contribution in the second half as he offered an option in midfield to keep us ticking over and advance with the ball.
Danny Ings, 7.5 – Made the all-important impact off the bench as he showed a good first touch to control Mings’ long ball over the top, and then composed himself well to find the back of the net. A crucial contribution to show his quality when needed.
Leander Dendoncker, 6 – Provided more physicality and composure in midfield after coming on as we controlled things a bit better in midfield in the latter stages.
Ludwig Augustinsson, 6 – Almost produced a stunning moment with a volley that was cleared off the line. Looks like he could be a good fit for Emery and will push Digne.
