Aston Villa fell to a 1-0 defeat at Wolves on Saturday in a potentially decisive final blow for our hopes of securing European football for next season.
Toti’s early goal for the hosts was enough to secure all three points for them, with Villa recovering from a poor start to the game to dominate possession and create a number of good chances.
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However, there was no clinical edge to our play to turn things around, and so it ultimately proved to be a frustrating and bitterly disappointing afternoon as we’ve now suffered back-to-back defeats in a huge blow to our push for Europe.
Unai Emery will no doubt be pleased with some aspects of the performance, but our level has undoubtedly dropped over the past four games as we’ve collected just four points, but it remains to be seen if we can finish these last three games well and keep ourselves in contention up until the final game of the campaign.
Aston Villa player ratings vs Wolves:
Emi Martinez, 6 – Beaten by a good header for the goal, produced a key save in the second half on Costa and was efficient with his passing. Not a particularly busy afternoon which adds to the frustration of not getting something from the game.
Ashley Young, 6 – A decent shift in a tough match-up defensively, while he went close with an effort from distance too as we searched for an equaliser.
Ezri Konsa, 6 – Did well in the defensive phase for the most part, even when shifting across to right-back in the latter stages. Won a number of duels, but was perhaps too limited in his contribution to our build-up play out from the back.
Tyrone Mings, 5.5 – Missed a huge chance to get us right back in the game as he blazed his effort over the bar from close-range. A big moment in the game that could have turned it completely in our favour, and so although he did ok at the back, that was costly for us.
Alex Moreno, 5 – Couldn’t offer the same attacking threat down the left flank that we’ve become used to, and was often caught out in possession and chasing back instead. A difficult afternoon for him.
Bertrand Traoré, 4.5 – It has to be said that it was a questionable decision to start him in this game, as it immediately felt like it would be a struggle given the tempo and intensity as well as the lack of defensive help he offers at times. Offered very little quality in the final third too which was a major problem, and was replaced at half-time.
Douglas Luiz, 6 – A decent effort from the Brazilian, as he continued to set the tempo for us in midfield. Often looked really frustrated with the lack of movement in front of him, with Emery even calming him down during a break in play in the first half. Should have had an assist but Mings missed a big chance.
John McGinn, 6 – Asserted himself well back in his central position, putting in an important defensive display given how sloppy we were in possession. His work ethic and tenacity were badly needed in this one but much like the rest of the team, quality was lacking to go with it.
Jacob Ramsey, 6 – Got into good positions and made key runs off the ball into space down the left side to create openings, but couldn’t find that killer final pass to help us get a breakthrough. Needs to be more decisive and consistent still.
Emiliano Buendia, 6 – To his credit, he continued to find pockets of space and offered an option in the final third where he tried to make something happen. However, he has to set a really high standard and be our chief creative spark who delivers week in and week out against stubborn opposition. Went close on occasion whether directly or for a teammate, but we need more.
Ollie Watkins, 5 – Missed a huge opportunity in the first half as he headed straight at Sa, and that summed up his recent run after a brilliant spell of goalscoring prior to that. Villa need to find him quicker and more efficiently, otherwise he gets crowded out in the box and his threat becomes more nullified.
Substitutes:
Leon Bailey, 5 – Failed to make a positive impact on the game, as he offered very little quality on the ball to make the difference.
Diego Carlos, 6 – Great to see him back out on the pitch after so long, hopefully gets a run to get back to full fitness and his best form. Given his lack of football, did well coming into an intense game.
Jhon Duran, N/A
Lucas Digne, N/A
Boubacar Kamara, N/A
